IPOC members say monthly use-of-force reports were stripped of officer names; council hears legal constraint explanation

Members of the East Lansing Independent Police Oversight Commission told the City Council Oct. 7 that monthly "response-to-resistance" (use-of-force) reports they had previously received with officer names are now being delivered without names and labelled confidential.

Why it matters: Commission members said the ordinance that created the Commission requires monthly reports and that removing officer names and treating the reports as confidential impedes oversight and public transparency.

What was said: A commission member told council the reports "have always been public. They have always included the names of the officers." She said the change began four months after the city adopted a new collective bargaining agreement and that the department began providing reports without names and stating they were confidential. When asked to reconcile that practice with the ordinance, city staff and the city attorney said the department had relied on guidance from labor counsel and the city attorney's office. Mayor Brookover read a message from the chief stating, in part, that "under guidance from the labor attorney and city attorney, I have confirmed that the ordinance does not allow this report to be released publicly on a monthly basis with officer names."

Council action and next steps: Council asked the city attorney to confirm whether the department's approach conforms with the ordinance and collective bargaining provisions and to advise the council on what may or may not be released. No change to practice was adopted at the Oct. 7 meeting; council members said they would monitor the situation.

Ending: The exchange left the oversight commission and public members urging a clearer, written explanation of the legal basis for withholding names and for a prompt report to council on whether existing law or bargaining agreements allow the historical disclosure practice to continue.