Ken Casaday, president of the Austin Police Association, argues that decision simply brought the system back into line. The contract expressly forbids “gather evidence, contact or interview witnesses, or otherwise independently investigat a complaint of misconduct by an Officer.” Austin police criticized a case in which the Office of Police Oversight reviewed body camera footage to compare how an officer interacted with a Black loiterer versus a white loiterer. Her staff actively reviewed evidence, formally objected to department policies and updated residents on complaints.īut in late 2021, an arbitrator declared the office had gone too far, overstepping bounds laid out in the contract by investigating complaints, collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. Farah Muscadin, an attorney who had previously served as police monitor during the 2018 negotiations, became director. From its inception, the Office of Police Oversight bullishly pursued complaints of officer misconduct.
The office’s job, as stated in its city contract, is to pass along complaints to the police and oversee the misconduct complaint investigation process. A new office was created and staffed by civilians rather than police: The Office of Police Oversight. Finally, that November, the parties reached an agreement, though tensions remained. The city’s citizen review panel disbanded. Negotiations between Austin officials and the police were breaking down in part over the city’s attempts to increase police accountability in 2018. Because of this bureaucratic tripwire near the finish line, the measure will not appear on the ballot, despite its popular support. But according to the Austin American Statesman, the city has said the petition review process will not be complete in time.
POLICE OVERSIGHT UPDATE
Update August 19, 2022: Earlier this month, Equity Action delivered a petition to put the Austin Police Oversight Act on the ballot this November, which would have codified the powers of the Office of Police Oversight and made it less vulnerable to efforts to reduce its efficacy.