BOPC Watch: Four commissioners get a D for attendance so far this year

The governing body of elected and appointed officials in place to provide police oversight in Detroit has an attendance problem on its hands. Four members of the Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC) missed at least six of the first 12 full board meetings this year.

An Outlier Media analysis of meeting minutes, transcripts, audio recordings and Detroit Documenters notes from January, February and March found that Commissioner Jesus Hernandez missed seven meetings and Commissioners Willie Bell, Rory Gamble and Ricardo Moore each missed six.

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“We have to get fully staffed,” said Commissioner Darryl Woods, the sole board member with perfect attendance during the three-month period Outlier reviewed. Woods is in his first term after being appointed by Duggan in January.

“There are major votes that need to take place so that we could be able to get out of the rut that we are in right now.”

The BOPC is still working to hire several investigators , a board secretary and other employees. The city’s Office of Inspector General also recently looked into overtime pay and the closure of citizen complaints, and it found abuse by board members.

The board has weekly full board meetings that typically start at 3 p.m. on Thursdays. Members also attend the board’s committee meetings, which usually take place in the evenings and occur one to three times a month. Board members are not paid a salary, but as of February 2023, the board chairperson receives an annual stipend of $6,877; other commissioners receive $4,630. Acting Board Secretary Robert Brown said the stipend is doled out monthly, regardless of attendance.

Hernandez, a member-at-large appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan in 2020 who has missed the most meetings, said he’s been absent because of “personal and professional reasons.”

“I have a career in the automotive industry that is in management,” he said. “It’s very demanding. But I’m still fully committed to the obligations that I have here.”

Hernandez said the board’s Personnel & Training Committee, which he chairs, has been “moving the work ahead.” He said historically he’s had good attendance. But he admitted that attendance can be an issue for the board when it doesn’t have a quorum — which means it doesn’t have enough members present to vote.

“As a body, we’ve been struggling to have quorum,” Hernandez said. “I think it’s a broader issue that we as a body need to collectively address. I think there are potentially gaps, but at the end of the day, we’re still moving the work forward.”

Report card

Attendance at the Board of Police Commissioners’ first 12 regular meetings this year, from January-March:

Commissioners cite work, family as obstacles

Attendance became an issue at the April 4 board meeting. Bell left the meeting early and so did Commissioner Willie Burton after the board attempted to censor him. With only five other members present, the two departures resulted in a loss of quorum. The board voted to end the meeting before getting to agenda items from its Policy and Personnel & Training committees.

Moore, another commissioner with low attendance, missed the first meeting in April. Asked to comment on his frequent absences, Moore responded, “I’ve probably had more than that.”

Twice elected as police commissioner for District 7, Moore said he’s been absent because he’s been “trying to keep the fires down” between himself and his employer. Moore works as a victim advocate at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office. He shared emails with Outlier that showed Prosecutor Kym Worthy initially told him that serving on the BOPC would not be a conflict of interest. But Moore said that changed after he called for the federal government to look into the Detroit Police Department and the Board of Police Commissioners.

“The minute I called for a federal investigation back in August of 2023, she began harassing me about my role as a police commissioner,” Moore said. “That’s why I’ve been kind of staying away, trying to stay low-key.”

The Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to Outlier’s request for comment.

Moore said he is working to transfer to another department in the county so he can continue to speak freely at board meetings.

Bell — who recently lost his vice chair position after the Office of Inspector General report said he and fellow Commissioner Lisa Carter needed to be retrained — also missed six meetings. He told Outlier he’s been addressing a family matter that is “quite serious, and it’s ongoing.”

“I am a volunteer. I’m not a paid politician. But I have taken my duty seriously over the years,” Bell said. He was first elected to the board in 2013 and is now in his third term.

“I have had great attendance up until recently,” he added. Bell attended the board’s first meeting in April.

Like Bell and Moore, Gamble missed six meetings in the first three months of the year. He was appointed to the board in November . He did not respond to Outlier’s request for comment.

Former board secretary Victoria Shah addressed the board’s attendance while speaking during public comment at the March 14 meeting .

“I know that each of you volunteer for your positions, and your schedules are challenging. However, you signed up for this, and much more than (a) once-a-week commitment is required,” she said.

The board has been taking too long to hire investigators from a pool of applicants from Jan. 11, Shah said.

“Candidate lists go stale after this long. People are applying and accepting other positions. This happens over, and over, and over again with this board.”

Outlier reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment on the attendance of Hernandez and Gamble, its frequently absent appointees. The office did not respond.

About the BOPC

The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is made up of 11 commissioners — seven elected and four appointed by the mayor. It was created in 1974 through the city charter. The board provides oversight and supervision of the Detroit Police Department.

The BOPC establishes policies for police tools like license plate readers , facial recognition and more in consultation with the chief of police and with approval from the mayor.

The board hires investigators who look into complaints by citizens against police officers and personnel. It also rules on certain officer promotions and disciplinary actions, and reviews the police department’s budget .

BOPC Watch: Four commissioners get a D for attendance so far this year · Outlier Media