City Moving Ahead to Hire Police Auditor
The city is in the market for a Police Department auditor now that the City Council has decided not to pursue a proposal to create a citizens review board.
The board would have monitored the department and heard complaints about officers.
Critics have said that police were too heavy-handed in quelling July 4th disturbances last year, creating an atmosphere that is scaring away tourists.
But Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg called the review board idea “a slap in the face” for the department that patrols the city named the safest in America in 1994 and 1995.
A subcommittee of City Council members--Dave Sullivan, Shirley S. Dettloff and Tom Harman--heard testimony and reviewed the city’s options. The panel then recommended hiring an outside professional for a routine audit of the department, rather than forming a citizens commission.
The council agreed unanimously this week.
Mayor Ralph H. Bauer asked Sullivan and Dettloff to join the city staff in seeking a consultant to review Police Department practices.
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