For 16 years, the Office of the Police Monitor has been available for citizens and city staff to issue complaints against law enforcement. However, it appears not many Austinites take advantage of its services. Police Monitor Farah Muscadin found that of the 250 formal complaints investigated each year, 50 came directly from the community while […]
City of Austin Office of the Police Monitor
An oversight group that, among other duties, reviews citizen complaints filed against the Austin Police Department and monitors APD internal affairs investigations.
Posted inPolice
Police and community groups join to explore how to improve oversight of APD
Austin’s system of police oversight may be more effective than others at promoting long-term change, but there’s still skepticism about the agency, according to a new report. The report from the Office of the Police Monitor notes that agencies like Austin’s have the power to track whether a police department makes changes based on public […]
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Audit: Citizen oversight of APD flawed
Although the city’s Citizen Review Panel drafted numerous memos to the chief of police in an attempt to bring about change at the Austin Police Department, its efforts “did not create substantive change” within APD, according to a draft audit conducted by the Office of the City Auditor. Part of the problem, auditors noted, was […]
Posted inCity Hall
Judge considers dismissing police union suit
Attorneys for the city sparred with attorneys for the Austin Police Association, its president Ken Casaday and police Sgt. Robert Miljenovich during a court hearing Monday over whether the police union’s suit against various city officials should be dismissed without a hearing on the merits. Judge Amy Clark Meachum took the matter under advisement. The […]
Posted inCity Hall
Commission: Former police monitor did not violate city policy
On Wednesday night, the Ethics Review Commission found that former police monitor Margo Frasier was not in violation of any city policy and did not impose any sanctions against her. By clearing Frasier’s name in a 7-2 vote, the commission took a stance on future cases involving personal internet use on city-owned computers for all […]
Posted inCity Hall
Auditor voices concern about erosion of trust
On Friday, the Office of the City Auditor turned over the name of and allegations made by a whistleblower, as well as the identities of several witnesses, in the investigation of alleged violations of city regulations by Margo Frasier, the city’s former police monitor. The documents were turned over to the City Attorney’s Office in […]
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Commission subpoenas whistleblower notes
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has sent a subpoena to Nathan Wiebe, chief of investigations at the Office of the City Auditor, demanding previously protected information, including the name of and allegations made by a whistleblower against Margo Frasier, Austin’s former police monitor. It has also demanded witness interview memos and recordings. The auditor’s office […]
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Ethics panel reluctantly approves final hearing for former police monitor
The city’s Ethics Review Commission voted Wednesday to move to a final hearing over whether former police monitor Margo Frasier violated city ordinance by using her city computer for activity related to a private consulting business she ran. The commission voted 8-3 to find that there were “reasonable grounds” that Frasier violated a section of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Complaint filed against former police monitor
The Office of the City Auditor has filed an ethics complaint against Austin’s former police monitor, Margo Frasier, alleging that she used her city computer for her outside consulting practice and that such use was a violation of the city’s Code of Ethics. Nathan Wiebe, chief of investigations for the auditor’s office, filed the complaint […]
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Chief addresses complaints, demotions
Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo on Wednesday strongly defended his decision to suspend and demote two supervisors for failing to appropriately investigate two high-profile use-of-force complaints. He also scoffed at Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday’s call for him to step down as chief, noting that the APA has “never seen” a discipline they […]
Posted inPolice
Audit points out flaws in APD complaint process
The process for handling complaints against Austin police officers is difficult to use, and even high-profile incidents involving an officer’s use of force – such as the widely covered incident involving an Austin teacher – have not always made it onto the Austin Police Department’s database, according to an audit from the Office of the […]
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Commission debates racial disparities in policing
The Austin Police Department “deserves at least a B+,” according to Austin Police Monitor Margo Frasier. The good news is that not only did the total number of complaints about APD decline in 2014, but the most common complaint was for officer rudeness, Frasier told the Public Safety Commission on Monday. During her presentation, she […]