Internal Affairs cites staffing strain; commissioners require anonymized case synopses

Lily Hastings, senior project manager in Internal Affairs, told the commission it has 14 open intakes (average age 29 days) and 48 open administrative investigations with an average age of 244 days as of Nov. 13. Hastings said 41 of the 48 investigations were assigned to investigators and seven were unassigned; she called IA “understaffed” and noted the unit is exploring an RFP to obtain outside support if permanent resources are not forthcoming.

Hastings described supervisory review and chief's‑office processing where 194 cases are in supervisory review (63 backlog, 118 noncompliant, 13 current). She noted work to publish disciplinary decisions on the police discipline dashboard and said 58% of the backlog has been cleared to date.

Bureau Chief Ayodele Famodu told commissioners IA faces substantial daily demands and cautioned that asking IA to produce anonymized synopses could add tasks to staff already filling multiple roles. "We are unable to get through our primary mission," Famodu said, emphasizing the trade‑offs of assigning staff to produce case synopses while investigations remain open.

After discussion, Commissioner Sheffield moved that IA begin providing anonymized synopses of closed cases similar to OPCR summaries; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call (10 ayes). The motion was framed as a way to strengthen oversight and inform CCPO committees.

The commission received and filed the IA report and directed staff to follow up on implementation details and resource needs.