A police auditing firm hired by the city to review Las Cruces Police Department procedures and practices in 2021 will host the first of several public meetings later this month.
A news release from the City of Las Cruces announced the first meeting will be in City Hall on Aug 26 at either 4 p.m. or 30 minutes after the close of the city council meeting scheduled for that day. The meeting is expected to be about 90 minutes.
In May, the city awarded OIR Group, a California-based firm, a larger contract in exchange for increasing the scale of its presence in Las Cruces. Part of that growth was an agreement to host four public meetings annually.
The city hired OIR to review internal affairs investigations into misconduct allegations and provide feedback on the accuracy of the findings. OIR has also reviewed and proposed changes to LCPD’s policy book, many of which the department has adopted.
“The community outreach meeting will serve as an opportunity for residents to connect with representatives from the OIR Group and gain insight into the purpose, function, and types of services provided by the OIR Group,” a news release said. “Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the police auditors in an open forum and share experiences, information, or concerns to help the OIR Group get a pulse on policing in our community.”
The meeting occurs amid a tense debate about policing in Las Cruces following the passage of two controversial ordinances in August – and a larger context of elevated crime rates, controversial police shootings, criminal charges against two officers, an officer who was killed in the line of duty and an opioid crisis that has rocked the city’s public safety environment.