Austin police oversight panel presses to begin case reviews, seeks safeguards after state bill and rapid adjudication concerns

AUSTIN — The Community Police Review Commission on Aug. 15 voted to begin formal review of an internal affairs investigation into an officer-involved shooting and spent much of its monthly meeting pressing staff for concrete steps to start case reviews and protect public access to police records.

The commission approved a request to review internal affairs case 2025-01411, related to a May 31 officer-involved shooting. Commissioners also discussed training and clearances required for commissioners to view non-redacted records — including criminal-justice information system (CJIS) certification and criminal background checks — and debated what the commission can do if state law limits local transparency.

The meeting opened with two public commenters raising related concerns. Loyah Mitchell asked whether the commission “have a plan for, protecting itself from the legislature,” saying she had seen bills that would remove the commission’s access to police documents. Mary Elizabeth, who identified herself as a longtime hotline intake worker, said, “The bill to keep police misconduct unavailable to the public is now HB 15,” and said restricted access would hamper community healing after incidents such as Uvalde.

Those public comments framed several agenda discussions. Commissioners and…