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Investigators report ~80 active complaints, cite tablet and records access as barriers to completing investigations
Summary
Senior investigator Louisa Liles told the board investigators had opened approximately 80 complaints spanning 2024–2026, have not completed investigations largely because of lack of access to intake forms, IJMS records, attorney permissions and reliable tablet access inside the City Justice Center.
Senior investigator Louisa Liles delivered the investigative office’s monthly report to the Detention Facilities Oversight Board, describing standardized case‑management changes, audit progress and practical barriers to completing investigations.
Liles told the board staff completed an audit of 2024 files by a July 10 deadline and implemented a standardized compliance enforcement plan for case management. Investigators have begun transcribing interview audio and assembling packets so board members can review complete materials before cases are presented.
Despite those process improvements, Liles said investigators face persistent practical obstacles: intake forms are not consistently available to detainees inside the justice center, tablets provided by the jail may be limited if detainees lack funds for device features, and investigators often must rely on jail staff to pull complaint forms and forward them. The office is seeking a way to have the complaint form available directly on the CJC tablet or linked from the jail website so submissions come straight to the oversight office.
Liles also described documentation bottlenecks: investigators need access to the integrated jail management system (IJMS) to identify housing units, officers and potential witnesses; they plan to request IJMS extracts, camera footage (with audio where available), and a memorandum of understanding to permit interviews of CJC staff while safeguarding Garrity protections. Liles said the office has opened about 80 cases across 2024–2026 and has not completed many investigations because it lacks records, interviews and court‑appointed‑attorney permissions in some instances.
When public commenter Mary Lou Webb asked how many complaints had been received and how many investigations were complete, Liles replied the office began receiving jail complaints under the ordinance passed in 2022, started substantive interviews in January of the current year, and has roughly 80 active matters; she said no investigations have reached final investigative findings yet owing to the documented constraints.
Liles and board members discussed possible remedies, including requesting dorm‑rep meeting notes, pursuing an MOU with the justice center to clarify interview procedures, and further outreach to the public defender’s office to streamline permissions for detainee interviews. The board also approved the administrative‑closure policy during the meeting, and Liles said staff will begin presenting administrative‑closure recommendations at the next meeting.
The investigative office asked the board to expect more detailed case packets when investigations are ready for review and to note that some intake and recording systems (phone and tablet) appear to have changed recently, which may explain the drop in calls and complaint submissions Liles described.
