Item 6: Report to City Council from Police Auditor

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year, they met 12 times. It was clear that the CRB members took their responsibilities seriously and with enthusiasm to serve their community. Goals for 2013 — 2014 I'm going to try to simplify this year. I thought that there were many improvements in 2012 -2013 but more work needs to be done. 1. Promote constitutional — based policing as the foundation for law enforcement in Eugene. This includes promoting the concept that people should feel safest when they are with police, even those who have been arrested. It is expected that a new EPD records management system (RMS) will be of significant value in tracking demographic data to better capture opportunities to identify bias -based policing. 2. Work with the Police Commission, Human Rights Commission and Municipal Court and partner with community agencies to broaden the understanding of the services provided in each venue and how those services interact with police actions, particularly with segments of the community in which English is not a first language. Given the current workload, taking on this task alone may fall short for each agency unless we collaborate while respecting the neutrality of the Auditor's office and the courts. 3. Identify and evaluate weaknesses in high risk policies and practices. 4. Ensure that supervisors are meeting their Blue Team responsibilities. Conduct trend analysis based on Blue Team data. 5. Maintain the outstanding performance of staff and the CRB. Complaint Process: Within an administrative complaint process, what remains problematic, and is often a major concern for a complainant, is a complaint that they are not guilty of an offense, that the facts as stated by the officer are not accurate, that others allegedly committing the same offenses are not arrested or charged, and that the time and expense to defend oneself is onerous. Within the criminal justice system of the U.S., a heavy burden remains with the courts, prosecutors and defense attorneys to ensure that justice is served when someone is charged with an offense. Any failures in these systems place additional burdens on individuals and agencies like citizen complaint avenues. The diagram on the next page captures the flow of complaints, whether generated by the community (external complaints) or generated internally from the police department. It does not include community impact cases. As the diagram /flow chart illustrates, complaints are handled thoroughly and completely. Many variables exist that set the course for complaints. The City Ordinance for the Auditor's office, the Charter Amendments, union contracts and labor /management negotiated protocols all factor into the path of a particular complaint. The following diagram is an excellent illustration of the volume of work and number of decisions that are made throughout the complaint process. It is indicative of the need to have experienced professionals with knowledge of administrative, and at times, criminal processes. One of the most difficult aspects of the process is the classification of the complaint. City Council legislated that this is a function of the Auditor's office. The decisions are not always easy and never made hastily. The Auditor must evaluate Office of the Police Auditor 2012 Annual Report 17