Philadelphia’s police watchdog is searching for a new investigative chief for the second time in less than two years, amid growing doubts about the agency’s future.
Why it matters: Infighting, high turnover and an arbitration decision that crippled independent investigations have kept the Citizens Police Oversight Commission from achieving its goal of becoming a national gold standard in police oversight.
Driving the news: CPOC executive director Tonya McClary said during last week’s meeting that former investigative director Nicholas Kato had left the agency last month — a revelation prompted by a commissioner’s question about whether the investigative unit still had a leader.
- McClary told Axios she “definitely plans” to replace Kato and said the city has already begun a national search for applicants — a full-time role with a salary range of $105,000-$120,000.
- Kato, who took a new job with the city law department, didn’t respond to Axios’ requests for comment.
State of play: The new investigative director will inherit a unit limited to responding to police shootings and conducting after-action reviews — a far cry from the expansive legal mandate Philadelphia voters approved in 2020 following George Floyd’s murder.
- CPOC hasn’t conducted a single outside investigation into a police officer’s misconduct — and its only probe was done on a commissioner who was serving at the time.
What they’re saying: “I always say oversight isn’t overnight,” commissioner chair Hassan Bennett said at the August meeting…