2.454 Office of Police Auditor – Powers and Duties.
(1) The police auditor is the administrative head of the auditor’s office and shall:
(a) Oversee the operations of the auditor’s office, establish program priorities and objectives, and manage the implementation and evaluation of work programs;
(b) Develop and maintain operating procedures for the auditor’s office, including protocols for handling complaints and monitoring investigations;
(c) Establish standards of professional conduct and provide necessary training for staff in the auditor’s office.
(d) Act as liaison and provide staff support to the civilian review board. In collaboration with the civilian review board, the police auditor shall:
1. Establish and maintain policies, procedures and operating principles for the civilian review board’s functions; and
2. Conduct education and outreach activities to inform the community about the process for filing complaints and commendations about police employees, and develop and disseminate information and forms regarding the police complaint handling and review system.
(e) Receive and process complaints concerning police employees; monitor the complaint investigation and review process as set forth in sections 2.456(1) and (2); and review a selection of service complaints.
(f) Perform a quality assurance function with the goal of identifying systemic changes that will improve police services to the community. These activities include:
1. Analyzing complaint trends and recommending changes to police policy, practices and training;
2. Reviewing risk and tort claims and developing recommendations to reduce risk and liability;
3. Reviewing and reporting trends in completed police employee disciplinary decisions.
(g) Provide status reports to the civilian review board and city council and provide recommendations relevant to police policies and practices to the police commission.
(h) Develop and present to the civilian review board and city council annual public reports describing the activities of the auditor’s office, its findings and recommendations, the police department’s response to its recommendations, and any other information pertinent to assessing the performance of the auditor’s office.
(i) Provide the city council with any other reports deemed necessary or requested by the city council. All public reports shall strive to protect the privacy of all individuals and shall not contain the names of parties to a complaint (employees, complainants and/or witnesses) not previously disclosed.
(j) Determine whether applicants for the civilian review board meet the requisite qualifications in section 2.242(1)(a)1. and 2.242(1)(d).
(2) The police auditor shall receive timely notification of critical incidents to enable him/her, or a qualified designee, to report to the scene of critical incidents. The police auditor and chief of police shall develop necessary protocols for summoning the police auditor to the incident for purposes of first-hand observation.
(3) The police auditor shall participate in use of force review boards.
(4) All case adjudication and employee discipline decisions shall be made by the chief of police. The police auditor may develop adjudication recommendations, but is not authorized to recommend the level of discipline for police employees.
(5) For purposes of this subsection, an “allegation” is a report or claim that the chief of police has committed a crime, violated any provision of sections 2.240 to 2.246 or 2.450 to 2.456, violated a person’s civil rights, or failed to perform non-administrative duties in accordance with professional law enforcement standards applicable to Eugene’s sworn officers.
(a) If the auditor receives an allegation against the chief of police, the auditor shall forward a copy of the allegation to the city manager. The city manager shall notify the council, and investigate the allegation. The manager shall keep the auditor informed of the progress of the investigation.
(b) Upon completion of the investigation, but prior to the finalization of the investigation report, the city manager shall provide the auditor with a draft of the report. The auditor shall review the draft report and provide comments about the draft to the manager within seven days of receiving the draft. The manager shall consider any comments received from the auditor and finalize the report within seven days. Once the city manager issues a decision on the allegation, the manager shall inform the council of the manager’s decision related to the allegation.