Police watchdog hiring new leader
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

Philadelphia police's watchdog group is expected to hire Tonya McClary as its new leader after more than a year of searching, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: McClary, who held similar roles in Dallas and New Orleans, brings expertise to an agency bracing for a potential legal fight with the police union over the future of police oversight in Philadelphia.
Driving the news: The Citizens Police Oversight Commission is expected to announce McClary's appointment today at a board meeting.
What they're saying: McClary, a lawyer and a pastor, confirmed to Axios that she was offered the job but said she hasn't yet relocated to Philadelphia.
- "I don't have too many comments right now. I need to kinda just get there and get myself on the ground and get rolling," she said.
Behind the scenes: Axios has learned that an outside firm interviewed at least five candidates before extending an offer to McClary.
- McClary would replace interim executive director Anthony Erace, who has led the police watchdog since the City Council established it nearly three years ago.
- Erace didn't respond to a message requesting comment.
- The agency hasn't offered details about McClary's job, but they will likely be made public at today's meeting.
Catch up quick: McClary inherits a daunting task as CPOC's new leader as the agency determines its path forward after Erace's tenure, which has been marred by controversy and infighting among commissioners.
- Last year, some commissioners wanted Erace replaced by Richard Rivera, a former police officer and the current police director in Penns Grove, New Jersey.
- Three commissioners resigned after an offer was extended to Rivera, pointing to a city law they said excluded former police officers from consideration.
- Their departures forced the board to pull the plug on the initial search and hire an outside firm, Jane HR, in September to conduct a new search.
Yes, and: CPOC hasn't conducted a single investigation into a citizen's complaint in nearly three years and could face a court fight with the police union over its ability to conduct independent misconduct investigations into officers.
- Mayor Cherelle Parker also proposed flat-funding CPOC at $3 million this year, which is still about $2 million more than McClary's budget in Dallas.
The bottom line: McClary faced similar roadblocks while leading Dallas' Community Police Oversight Board, where she became the first civilian to access departmental internal affairs records, per the Dallas Morning News.
- Dallas' police union discouraged officers from sitting for interviews with the watchdog because a local law allowed them to blow off subpoenas without repercussions.
- After three years, McClary left her Dallas position in September but didn't say whether those struggles contributed to her leaving.
- She had been a finalist for police monitor in Boulder, Colorado, in 2023, per the Dallas Morning News.

