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Motus outlines hiring timeline for OCPA director; board debates job-description review process
Summary
Motus briefed the board on listening sessions, a drafting timeline and a proposed April 27 posting for the Office of Community Police Accountability director job; the board and the city attorney debated whether the board would review or approve the final job description before posting and agreed to meet in two weeks to continue the process.
Motus, the external search firm working with the board, told the Community Board for Police Accountability it has run nine listening sessions with four remaining and plans to synthesize community feedback, share raw notes, and deliver a draft job description the board can review.
Dreshaun Vance, Motus’s vice president of executive search, said the firm expects to post a draft job description "during the week of April 27th" and begin screening applicants about 30 days after posting. Motus said it would provide a rubric and weekly updates to board members on applicants, outreach channels, and applicant demographics.
During the presentation, Heidi from the City Attorney’s Office reminded members that code requires the nominating committee to make recommendations on applicants to the board, and she flagged that some statutory posting language (minimum qualifications, veterans preference and similar requirements) would apply to any job posting the city uses. Board members asked whether the board would collectively approve a final job description before posting; Motus said it could circulate a draft to members, accept individual feedback, and then publish a final version — but staff and legal counsel cautioned about serial communications and public-meetings rules that could be implicated if members coordinate privately to change language.
Members debated the trade-offs. Some argued that the board — as the hiring body — should collectively review and approve the posting to set expectations for future performance. Others urged trusting Motus to aggregate input and produce a polished final draft to avoid delaying recruitment. A motion to meet as a full board in two weeks passed unanimously so members could continue the discussion and set a timeline for finalizing and approving any posting.
Motus told members it would share a synthesis of listening-session feedback and raw notes by Monday, April 20th, and would provide weekly applicant updates after posting. The board did not take a binding vote on the job description at the meeting but agreed on a process to collect input and to reconvene to avoid delaying hiring while guarding against potential public-meetings issues.
