Council adopts revised police‑oversight ordinance; limits on subpoenas and impasse process draw debate

The Alexandria City Council voted 5‑2 on Saturday to adopt revisions to the city’s ordinance establishing an Independent Policing Auditor and the Independent Community Policy Review Board (ICPRB), setting out a public impasse process and authorizing the auditor to seek subpoena duces tecum for documents but not to compel individual testimony.

Council members Vice Mayor Bagley and Councilman Aguirre led a subcommittee that met publicly with stakeholders and the auditor’s office to draft the compromise language that came before the council. The subcommittee recommended a pathway for resolving disagreements when the auditor declines to investigate and the board disagrees: the board may take a vote and forward the matter to the city council, which would then direct the auditor (a council‑hired employee) whether to undertake or not undertake the investigation. Council described the change as a way to preserve the auditor’s independence while creating a formal, public check when the…