Independent auditor reviews Modesto police practices, recommends earlier officer interviews and closer review of taser/canine use

Steve Conley, the Independent Police Auditor (IPA) contractor from OIR Group, presented the IPA office’s second annual audit covering Modesto Police Department cases completed in 2024 at the Community Police Review Board meeting on April 16.

Conley said the audit covered designated categories — complaints and allegations of misconduct, uses of force, and critical incidents — drawing on completed investigations, body-worn camera recordings and department files. He told the board the office reviewed 28 misconduct/internal affairs cases and the completed administrative reviews and criminal investigations for multiple officer-involved shootings during OIR’s tenure.

Conley said the office supports Modesto’s new Major Incident Review Team (MERT) process, which convenes subject-matter experts and command staff within days of a critical incident to identify operational or systemic changes. “We have been invited to those. They’ve had three of these events, and we have been invited to all three of them,” he said, calling the practice a “holistic review” that lets the department address improvements quickly rather…