CPRC staff outlines SharePoint read-only access, will test with chair before wider rollout

Gail McCant, director of the Office of Police Oversight and the executive liaison to the Community Police Review Commission, told commissioners on Oct. 17 that the Office is working with City of Austin IT to provide commissioners read-only access to case files via the city’s SharePoint system.

McCant said commissioners will use their City of Austin email to log in and will primarily review PDF case files, audio files and body-worn camera footage on city-issued laptops. IT will preload necessary software on those devices, and the commission chair or co-chair is being asked to meet with McCant and IT next week to test the system before access is released to the full commission.

The office also identified a contingency: if SharePoint testing fails, staff will revert to the temporary Dropbox method previously used to distribute files.

Commissioners raised practical questions about Dropbox because they understood the city had aimed to stop using it for official file sharing. McCant said safeguards were put in place for the temporary Dropbox approach but that staff prefer SharePoint for security and control. Commissioners and staff agreed to schedule and test the SharePoint connection with the chair or co-chair and a city IT representative before broader distribution.

The commission did not take final action on a formal recommendation about file-access rules; the agenda item that would create a recommendation about access to files was postponed to next month by unanimous motion.

Why it matters: commissioners will need timely, secure access to investigation materials to do their review work. The planned SharePoint system and the agreed testing step are intended to ensure that access is available and secure before all members receive it.