Inspector Generals - what do they do and why do we need them?

In this podcast, we interviewed three inspector generals/independent police auditors to learn more about their oversight role, how they get community and law enforcement buy-in, and what utility they provide to the general public and elected bodies that they serve. We’ll hear from Sergio Perez, the Executive Director of the Orange County Office of Independent Review; Mark Smith, Inspector General of the Los Angeles Police Department (hired previously at BART in the wake of the Oscar Grant killing by a BART police officer); and Russell Bloom, BART’s Independent Police Auditor.

In part, we discuss the value an IG can add to the many existing surveillance technology vetting frameworks now in place across the country (20 and counting). The civilian oversight roles have been hampered by an inability to verify the accuracy of the data presented by self-interested law enforcement - an IG can mitigate those concerns.

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Mr. Perez and his team recently released a report examining practices and systemic abuses in Orange County, which will give you a good idea of what an IG does - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/25/california-orange-county-sheriff-department-abuse-review

Direct link to the report.

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