Spokane City
Council members will have a full plate of issues as they convene their last
meeting of the year on Monday.
Mayor David
Condon’s proposal to give broader investigative power to the city’s police
ombudsman will be one of the top issues.
The mayor
wants to create greater independence for the ombudsman to investigate officer
wrongdoing and establish a citizens commission that would have authority to
oversee investigations and order follow-ups.
Council
President Ben Stuckart said he expects the proposal will go to a vote.
The council
rejected an earlier plan from the mayor because it didn’t provide the ombudsman
independence approved by voters in a city charter amendment earlier
this year.
The new plan
from the mayor creates a “relief valve” to allow third-party investigations if
the citizens commission concludes that investigations by police internal
affairs and the ombudsman were insufficient.