Spokane ethics probe faults Rachel Dolezal in her role on commission

Rachel Dolezal, who was forced to step down as head of the NAACP chapter in Spokane, Wash., amid allegations that she lied about her race, violated city ethics policy while serving on a police oversight commission, city leaders said Wednesday.

Independent investigators questioned the actions of Dolezal and two other members of the Police Ombudsman Commission -- Kevin Berkompas and Adrian Dominguez -- according to officials. The report summarizing the investigation includes eight findings admonishing the conduct of Dolezal, who chaired the commission, and of fellow commissioners.

“We are deeply disturbed by the facts contained in the report of findings from the independent investigator,” Spokane Mayor David Condon and City Council President Ben Stuckart said in a joint statement Wednesday afternoon. “The conduct is unacceptable and falls far short of the community’s expectations of volunteers who sit on city boards and commissions.”

The investigation, which began on May 4 after a whistle-blower complaint in April, found that Dolezal had publicly named citizens who made complaints against police officers in violation of a confidentiality agreement, according to Stuckart.

“There were multiple occasions at open public meetings, that were recorded, where names of complainants were discussed in the open and they should have been confidential,” Stuckart told the Reuters news service.

Dolezal, 37, resigned this week as head of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP after her parents said she was white and not African American as she has said.

In several interviews, Dolezal has insisted that she identifies as black, setting off a national debate about race and self-identification.

The City Council is expected to discuss the report when it meets Thursday.

Follow @latimesmuskal for national news