Independent audit: majority of Las Cruces Police investigations handled appropriately, reviewers flag timeline delays and AI report‑writing risks

An independent police‑practices reviewer told the Las Cruces City Council work session on Monday that the Las Cruces Police Department’s internal investigations reviewed in the first half of the year were generally complete and appropriate, but that the department should shorten administrative timelines for critical incidents and formalize controls for emerging artificial‑intelligence tools used to draft reports.

The OIR Group, an independent outside reviewer, presented its eighth semiannual report covering internal investigations closed between Jan. 1 and mid‑year. Stephen Connolly of OIR Group said the firm reviewed eight internal investigations and found that 80 percent of the cases were initiated by the department, not by citizen complaints — an indicator the reviewers said tends to show internal attention to potential misconduct.

Teresa Magula, OIR’s lead reviewer on numbers and case details, said the review covered 40 separate allegations across the cases, with 32 sustained findings. "In part, it's what Steve was speaking…