Commission expected to be seated this summer
Brian Coddington, Communications Director, 509.625.6740
Monday, April 14, 2014 at 5:37 p.m.
With the expectation that the new citizen Police Ombudsman Commission will be seated this summer, the City will host two public meetings this month to gather public input on how it should be formed, selected and function.
Meetings are planned on Monday, April 28, from noon to 1 p.m. and Tuesday, April 29, from 5-6 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the City Council Briefing Center.
“We are looking for robust input from the public so that the mayor and councilmembers will have good information from the community as they advertise the commission positions and select the members for the inaugural commission,” said Nancy Isserlis, city attorney.
Discussion topics include desired characteristics of individual commissioners and the makeup of the commission as a whole, with specific emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Application materials and process, level of background check requirements for chosen applicants, and public records issues involved in the process will also be discussed.
Recommendations and input will be compiled and forwarded to Mayor David Condon and the City Council by early May. Spots on the commission will be advertised by mid-May. Applications will be due in early June with the expectation that commissioners would be seated in late July.
