Boulder police oversight panel questions complaint pilot’s authority and notice

Boulder’s Police Oversight Panel voted Monday to seek answers about a police-department process that has routed some complaints through a “performance and conduct” track instead of the misconduct process since about November 2025.

The panel said the record does not establish who authorized the process, what notice complainants received or how many cases it has handled overall. The only verified figure presented was six cases reviewed through the track in June 2026. Members also questioned what will happen to cases handled under it if the governing policy changes.

The questions arose during the panel’s July 13 meeting, where members voted to seek answers from the city manager and Police Department. The meeting record variously describes the arrangement as a “pilot,” “trial” and policy; it does not show a panel vote authorizing it or identify a formal authorization document.

A city attorney’s office representative said the office advises on the process but does not make the final decision. The city manager and police chief were described as the final decision-makers for General Order 120, the department policy discussed in connection with the complaint process. Panel members said the city ordinance controls over department policy, but the meeting did not disclose whether the city attorney’s office had concluded that the current process aligns with the ordinance.

The independent police monitor said performance-and-conduct cases are not classified as misconduct and therefore are not potentially referred to the panel through that route. The meeting did not establish the full routing criteria or whether every case receives the same level of panel review.

The monitor’s six-case figure covers June only, not the period since the process began. Figures of “30, 50, 125” raised during the meeting were uncertain or hypothetical, not a verified cumulative count. The city’s public complaint-process page describes serious-misconduct and misconduct classifications but does not mention the pilot or provide a cumulative performance-and-conduct count.

Panel members also said they lacked clarity about notice to complainants. One member said the city website still described the older process and did not explain the performance-and-conduct track or how complaints would be routed. The meeting did not establish whether notice was written or verbal, when it was provided or what it said.

The questions come as the city conducts the second phase of its 2026 police-oversight review. Boulder’s municipal code says the city manager, with input from the panel, independent monitor, Police Department, City Council and community, may schedule an evaluation every five years. The code says the evaluation is intended to identify needed changes and is not intended to eliminate the panel or monitor. City information about the review identifies 2026 as the next scheduled review.

Consultant Anthony Finnell of AWFNL and Associates told the panel he is conducting phase two. He plans to review possible ordinance revisions and complaint and oversight policies, gather confidential stakeholder input, and produce a complaint-flow map, decision matrix, clarified roles, targeted ordinance amendments, and a final report and roadmap. He plans to meet with stakeholders Aug. 9-14 and expects to complete the work by mid-October. Those are projected dates, not completed milestones.

The panel’s vote leaves the complaint track’s authority, notice practices and cumulative caseload unresolved while the broader review continues.