A significant portion of the meeting was devoted to discussing the absence of a unified sexual misconduct policy within the MPD. The existing directives were criticized for being fragmented and lacking clarity, prompting the introduction of a resolution to establish a comprehensive policy. This policy aims to prevent potential abuses and enhance accountability and public trust. The resolution was introduced with an intent to align with successful examples from other jurisdictions, such as Chicago and Metro Nashville. Following a motion and subsequent vote, the resolution received unanimous support from the commission.

The handling of police misconduct complaints was another major topic of discussion. A report analyzing allegations against the MPD revealed that 52.77% of the 271 allegations reviewed were found to have merit, with 37.27% leading to recommendations for discipline. The report highlighted a need for further review of certain policies, particularly in areas with a concerning pattern of no merit recommendations. Notably, several allegations were clustered around specific procedures, such as domestic abuse and stops, searches, and seizures. These findings pointed to potential compliance risks that warranted additional scrutiny and possible policy revisions.

Commissioners expressed a strong desire for better insight into the disciplinary process and emphasized the need for ongoing monitoring and additional training in high-contact, high-risk areas. The commission also discussed a resolution to develop a program of research and study to assess the review panel processes over the past two years. This initiative aims to enhance community understanding of the disciplinary panel process and gather meaningful data from participants involved.

Another focal point of the meeting was the commission’s involvement in police training and policy implementation. The commission discussed strategies for increasing their role in the implementation process, including providing feedback on policies and attending training sessions at the police academy. The idea of a Citizens Academy was proposed to foster community understanding of police training and operations. Recent turnover in the community engagement unit was also addressed, along with plans for a new community engagement project lead and the development of an implementation newsletter to improve transparency about the unit’s activities.

The meeting also covered updates from the Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR), which is tasked with handling misconduct complaints against the MPD. The office is currently working through a backlog of investigations while striving for compliance with timelines set by a settlement agreement and a consent decree. The recent hiring of a case investigator was noted as a step towards full staffing for the first time in years. Despite this progress, the volume of complaints remains a significant barrier, with the average length of cases in the intake queue around 75 days, contributing to ongoing compliance issues.

Commissioners recognized the importance of leveraging data to highlight areas of focus for community engagement and to advocate for necessary public momentum in specific areas based on data trends observed. The development of a communications toolkit aimed at enhancing the commission’s outreach and feedback collection was also discussed, with a goal for members to attend organizational meetings regularly.