Philly police watchdog commissioner removed for misconduct
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Philadelphia's police watchdog has removed commissioner Rosaura Thomas. Officials said an investigation revealed she shared confidential information with people outside the agency.
Why it matters: The Citizens Police Oversight Commission has lost nearly half its board members since the board was first seated in 2022.
Driving the news: Commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to remove Thomas for misconduct after evidence showed she'd exchanged more than 600 phone calls and text messages with two people who were deemed harassing or a "security risk" to CPOC staff, per CPOC's director of investigations Nicholas Kato.
- Thomas was previously directed by the agency's lawyer not to have contact with those individuals and denied speaking with them, officials said at the meeting.
- But Kato said logs of her correspondence contradicted her claim.
The other side: Thomas didn't attend Thursday's hearing; she told Axios in a phone interview that defending herself was pointless because she believed commissioners had already decided to remove her before the meeting.
- She acknowledged having contact with the two people in question but told Axios she never shared confidential information with them.
The big picture: The board rescinded its bylaws earlier this year so it could continue to meet and conduct business despite not having enough members for a quorum.
- It now has only four members. A full board is nine people.
Zoom in: CPOC launched an investigation into Thomas after learning that a member of the public was aware of information that commissioners discussed during a closed-door meeting, Kato said at the hearing.
- Investigators interviewed CPOC staff and issued a subpoena to obtain records from a personal email account of Thomas' after learning she forwarded herself emails from her city account, Kato said.
- Thomas didn't cooperate with the investigation and repeatedly refused to be interviewed by CPOC's investigative unit, per Kato.
Catch up quick: CPOC suspended Thomas in July while it investigated the misconduct allegations.
What they're saying: Commissioners said at the meeting they were stung by Thomas' actions, which compromised trust in an agency that still hasn't investigated a single complaint of police misconduct.
- Interim chair Hassan Bennett said the outcome could've been different had Thomas explained why she was in contact with the two citizens rather than denying she spoke with them.