Philly's police watchdog hiring $75K consultant to rebuild amid setbacks
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Philly's independent police watchdog is hitting reset, hiring an outside consultant to help the agency rebuild after years of controversy and turnover.
Why it matters: The move is an explicit acknowledgment of the existential threat facing the Citizens Police Oversight Commission after arbitrators last year blocked the agency from conducting independent investigations of police officers.
State of play: The decision upended CPOC, which believed it would ultimately prevail — despite vigorous opposition from the city's police union — in its fight to uphold a legislative mandate voters handed the agency in 2020 following George Floyd's murder to probe police misconduct.
- The setback prompted the abrupt departure of CPOC's investigative director, who left for another city job late last year.
The big picture: CPOC has sought to guard against further erosion of its authority — and potential cuts to future city funding — by moving ahead with hiring a replacement, even though the investigative unit will not have a caseload for the next two years, as the police contract runs through 2027.
Driving the news: CPOC is spending $75,000 to hire an outside consultant to recalibrate its mission, coach leadership and advise commissioners on how to better support the agency's growth in light of the setbacks, per city records.
- The firm should be in place by April, with a yearlong effort ahead to stabilize and reform the agency.
Zoom in: The reorganization will include in-depth interviews, surveys and focus groups with CPOC staff to gauge progress toward key milestones.
- That feedback will inform a broader plan requiring final approval from CPOC leadership.
Catch up quick: Since taking shape in 2022, the police watchdog has cycled through a new slate of leadership:
- Three commissioners resigned in 2023 amid a dispute over top hires, prompting fallout that took months to resolve.
Between the lines: CPOC executive director Tonya McClary, who previously led police oversight in Dallas, has faced headwinds since taking the helm in Philly in 2024.
- She inherited an agency that hasn't conducted a single outside investigation into a police officer's misconduct.
- The agency felt Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration was somewhat unsupportive during the most recent contract talks with the city's police union, which remains the biggest obstacle to CPOC's envisioned level of oversight.
- For now, policing experts have said the agency will need to shift its investigative strategy toward more "pattern or practice" cases.
What they're saying: CPOC commissioner chair Hassan Bennett did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
- A CPOC spokesperson declined Axios' requests for comment, but McClary has remained optimistic about the agency's future.
- At last month's meeting, she cited the depth of a recent audit of Philly's police internal affairs unit as proof that CPOC is capable of handling police investigations.