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Dallas oversight office marks first year with expanded outreach and steady complaint workload
Summary
Michelle Andre, director and police monitor of the Office of Community Police Oversight, told the Community Police Oversight Board her office reached performance goals in its first year, citing outreach, complaint intake, staffing changes and an upcoming transparency dashboard.
Michelle Andre, director and police monitor of the Office of Community Police Oversight (OCPO), told the Community Police Oversight Board on Sept. 9 that she is marking one year in the role and that the office met or exceeded several of its first-year performance goals.
The OCPO director said the office attended 94 community events, translated forms into seven languages, launched a 24/7 complaint hotline and published an OCPO newsletter. From an oversight perspective, the office has "reviewed more than 1,200 complaints, conducted six independent investigations, monitored critical incidents and issued nine policy recommendations," Andre said.
The metrics Andre supplied show the office meeting or beating several internal targets. For community engagement the goal was 25 events; the office recorded 94. For complaint-resolution rate the goal was 70% and the office reported 87%. The office reported completing 5 of 5 independent investigations requested by the board (100% completed against an 85% goal). Andre said the OCPO logged "over 125 accommodations for officer professionalism," emphasizing that oversight includes recognizing positive conduct as well as investigating complaints.
Andre also described operational changes underway: a final draft standard operating procedure (SOP) was distributed Sept. 5 for board feedback; the financial support service shared (FSS) arrangement ends Sept. 30 and complaint-intake duties will move to Kimona Russell, who will be reclassified to executive assistant and begin that role Oct. 1. The OCPO is redesigning online complaint and accommodation forms with the city data analytics team and plans to launch an online independent review request form. The board was told a transparency and accountability dashboard is planned for presentation to the citys Public Safety Committee in October.
On budgeting, Andre said the office's proposed budget for the 2025—2026 cycle was included in board binders and that she was not aware of any budget amendments that would affect the OCPO. Chairman John Mark Davidson publicly thanked the city manager for preserving OCPO staffing amid broader budget cuts.
Board members who spoke during the discussion praised Andre's first year and her staff hires. Board member David Kidner said he participated in the director hiring process and called Andre "the candidate who stood out above all others." Dr. Lauren Gilbert Smith and others offered congratulations and thanks.
The director closed by noting operational items next on the calendar: feedback on the SOP, continuation of ride-alongs (with northeast and North Central divisions scheduled), roll-out of the accountability dashboard, and continued community engagement work.
The board did not take a formal vote on the director's report; the presentation was informational and board members asked clarifying questions and offered thanks.
