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The (lack of) Police Oversight Commission Audit

Updated: Jan 20, 2022


City Auditor Jorge Oseguera brought his team’s report to the city council on the effectiveness of the Police Oversight commission that was started in 2016….


I’m sorry ya’ll….


I’m trying to bring you this recap, my head is at the Budget and Audit Committee, but my heart is still calculating how much we’re paying city staff from the last recap. (Check it out here).






Everyone on this zoom meeting is making from about $100,000 - $300,000 per year.





Roughly speaking - this call is costing taxpayers 9.32 per minute (not even counting the administrative staff) - $559.48 each hour.




If that’s not troublesome enough it’s customary for everyone to spend that time thanking and praising everyone else, followed by repeating what the person before them said.


After a lengthy detailed speech from the Auditor explaining exactly why this 5-year running commission has always been ineffective and frustrating for all parties involved, the Mayor takes a turn at re-summarizing what was in the report. Followed by the other participants doing the same. They then all take time to hypothesize why the Police Review Commission didn’t show up to their own audit. Then they all go around agreeing that the commission should be at their own audit meeting.


The commission has no means for carrying out its purpose, no staff, no required training, and no authority. While we pay law enforcement to go and sit through some of the commission meetings - their suggestions don’t hold weight for actual changes made.


Anyway here’s a some highlights from the report:




The meeting ended with Mayor Steinberg thanking the auditor and his team for working hard preparing a report that told the council what they already knew.




The next step is to have this whole conversation again at a city council meeting.


Please Excuse me while I go and cry tax-payer tears.



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