The city is seeking input from the community members to understand how to ensure a resident-focused experience when interacting with the recently proposed Office of Police Accountability (OPA). Resident responses will provide valuable feedback on how the office can best provide an open and comfortable process.
Just over 20 years ago, Boise established a process of civilian oversight of the Boise Police Department. The goals of civilian police oversight are to ensure fairness and transparency for residents, and to build trust between the community and its police department. In response to our community’s request for increased accountability and transparency in policing, the City of Boise has recently proposed a new model of police oversight, the Office of Police Accountability (OPA).
OPA would refocus the office’s attention on resolving resident complaints and auditing police investigations by:
- Staffing the office with a full-time director
- Setting clear processes and timelines for OPA review
- Providing consistent investigative policies and procedures
- Requiring civilian oversight for complaints against command-level officers, including the Chief of Police
- Allowing for auditing of large numbers of complaints to ensure investigation are complete, thorough, and fair
- Mandating real-time auditing of critical incidents
- Using data to analyze trends and patterns from investigations and resident complaints
- Promoting long-term systemic changes in policing
- Increasing community awareness and communication