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OIR Group presents expanded 10th semiannual audit of Las Cruces Police Department
Summary
OIR Group told the Las Cruces City Council it reviewed 21 closed cases through June 30, 2026 — including an expanded set of lower-tier external complaints — and found most internal investigations sustained while external complaints were largely customer-service or perception issues.
Teresa Magula, an OIR Group auditor, told the council the firm reviewed closed administrative investigations with full access to unredacted files, including body-worn camera footage and police reports. "We have the full file provided to us. Nothing is redacted," Magula said, explaining the auditors assess whether investigations are complete, objective, thorough and fair.
Magula said the reporting period covered cases closed by 06/30/2026; OIR reviewed 21 cases that referenced about 30 department employees. Of those, 12 were internal investigations that generated roughly 42 unique allegations — many related to vehicle pursuits and uses of force — while 9 were external complaints that OIR classified largely as customer-service and reporting issues. "These external complaints, despite having a low sustained rate, are still an important piece of the puzzle," she said.
Viola Perea, Las Cruces City Auditor, introduced the presenters and noted the audit reporting changed after a contract revision in March expanded OIR's scope to include category 2 and category 3 complaints submitted by the public. OIR said it will continue reviewing individual cases but will deliver higher-level summaries in the report appendices under the new contract terms.
The presentation included demographic and location summaries: OIR has demographic coding for about 73 complainants and said its limited sample shows no evidence that race or ethnicity affected complaint outcomes in this reporting period. The auditors offered to provide more nuanced geographic breakdowns in future reports, acknowledging zip-code summaries can be imprecise in Las Cruces.
The council did not take formal legislative action on the audit during the work session. The city scheduled a listening session in council chambers for community feedback. The audit and its appendices are posted on the city's transparency audit page, the city auditor said.
