City Council Could Choose Independent Police Auditor on Monday

It looks like the Office of Independent Review won’t be serving as the city’s Independent Police Auditor for the city’s newly formed Community Police Oversight Commission after all.

On Monday, the Pasadena City Council is expected to enter into a one-year, $75,000 contract with Modern Policing, a service of the Maxey Group, headed by Brian Maxey.

“The IPA’s duties include, among other things, serving as a best-practices adviser to the (Police Oversight) Commission, reviewing categorical uses of force by Pasadena Police Department officers, reviewing investigations of personnel complaints of bias-based policing, and recommending changes to PPD policies, procedures, or officer training,” according to a city staff report.

“To perform these duties, the ordinance provides the IPA with “unimpeded access” to various PPD personnel records, and the authority to subpoena records (with the exception of personnel records), and witnesses (with the exception of City employees.”

Maxey is currently the deputy monitor overseeing a federal consent decree with the Cleveland Police Department, and also handles a similar role with the Baltimore Police Department.

According to the CrossCut, a nonprofit news site covering Seattle, Maxey was the most powerful civilian in the Seattle Police Department.

The site reported that Maxey played an outsized role in overseeing the structure and operations of that agency, working extensively to advance the department’s use of technology (including body cameras), develop new training and oversight, and respond to City Council questions.

“When it came to matters of policy or best practices — including officers working second jobs, Taser policies, early intervention systems to catch problem cops — Maxey was often the first point of contact for city officials and a frequent source for media,” the site wrote.

Maxey also recently advised and or conducted reviews for law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington and Wisconsin.

Prior to working in public safety consulting, he served as the chief operating officer (an executive position at the deputy chief level) for the Seattle Police Department, where, among other things, he was SPD’s executive lead on implementing a federal consent decree, requiring consensus-building among elected officials, community members, and other stakeholders, including the Seattle Community Police Commission.

Maxey also helped usher the department and the city through the federal consent decree process.

A consent decree is an agreement between involved parties submitted in writing to a court. Seattle found itself under a consent decree after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation. The 2012 consent decree demanded the department overhaul its use-of-force practices and modes of discipline and create a civilian oversight commission.

In April, city staff recommended the city sign with Michael Genacco’s Office of Independent Review for the IPA work, but that matter was pulled from the agenda and further proposals were solicited.

An ad hoc council committee consisting of Vice Mayor Andy Wilson and Councilmembers Tyron Hampton, Steve Madison, and Felicia Williams conducted interviews with the leading candidates.