Civilian or External Oversight: A Real Discussion on Avoiding the Pitfalls

Marcia K. Thompson is an attorney and law enforcement practitioner with over 20 years working in the criminal justice field. As a Vice President within our Law Enforcement Consulting practice, she provides oversight, management and technical assistance on various law enforcement assessments, training and reviews. Marcia has served as a law enforcement administrator within the Department of Safety at the University of Chicago Police Department, where she oversaw professional standards, accreditation, compliance, training, records management, recruitment, field training, in-service training, leadership development, succession planning, community engagement, youth outreach and the community advisory committee in support of the universities transparency and inclusion initiative. Marcia is a Virginia Supreme Court certified mediator as well as a collaborative problem-solver, change management facilitator, and equal employment opportunity (EEO) and civil rights professional. For many years, Marcia has served as a federal fact finder, EEO counselor, trained EEO investigator and hearing officer, providing neutral hearings and drafting administrative appellate determinations.

Carmen Best, Chief of Police Seattle (Retired) served with the Seattle Police Department for 28 years before retiring in 2020. As Chief of Police was her creation of the Collaborative Police Bureau, encouraging community partnerships and engagement. She received the “Newsmaker of the Year” award from the Seattle Black Press, the “Vision from the Mountain Top” award from Urban Impact for her commitment to justice and community, the “Influential Woman of 2020” award from the Puget Sound Business Journal and the FBI National Executive Institute Associates (NEIA) National Law Enforcement Ethics Award 2020, and the ""Woman of the Year 2022"" award from the National Police Defense Foundation. She was awarded the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, dedicated to recognizing individuals who selflessly contribute to society and uphold the ideals of America, an award read into the Congressional Record. Additionally, Ms. Best was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on the public safety announcements “Safe in the Sound.”

Ms. Best became a first-time author in late 2021 by releasing, “Black in Blue: Lessons on Leadership, Breaking Barriers and Racial Reconciliation.”

Sydney Roberts is the Chief Administrator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) in Chicago, Illinois with full administrative investigative authority of officer involved shootings, deaths in custody or as a result of police action as well as complaints of excessive force, illegal search and seizure, domestic violence, denial of counsel, coercion and sex and race based verbal abuse. Prior to joining COPA, Chief Roberts served as Director of the Illinois Secretary of State Department of Police where she provided oversight of all Secretary of State investigative districts as well as the security and protection of the Illinois State Capitol Complex. In addition to over 30 years of experience in community advocacy, public integrity, and law enforcement service, Chief Roberts, also served as Commander of the Maywood Police Department in Illinois and was a Lieutenant in the New Jersey, Essex County Prosecutor's Office investigating police misconduct and other public integrity breaches. Chief Roberts has led administrative/compliance investigations and held leadership positions as First Deputy Inspector General for the Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General and Inspector General for the Illinois Department of Human Services.  Roberts is an Ethics Instructor, former Polygraph Examiner and graduate of the FBI National Academy and its Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar.  Roberts holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Delaware, a Master of Science in criminology from the University of Oxford, England and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law, Newark, NJ.   

Mark Smith was appointed as the Inspector General of the Los Angeles Police Department in February 2018. He has spent his professional career overseeing and advising law enforcement agencies of varied size and geographic location. Mr. Smith's initial experiences within the oversight field came as a legal intern and, subsequently, as a full-time Special Investigator with the Los Angeles Police Commission's Office of Inspector General the same office to which he has been honored to return as Inspector General.  Prior to his appointment as LAPD's Inspector General, Mr. Smith was a Constitutional Policing Advisor with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD). Among other things, he was responsible for advising the Sheriff on issues related to accountability, adherence to best practices, policies, procedures, and operations; providing real-time monitoring, analysis, and advice to LASD investigators and executives on pending personnel investigations and disciplinary matters; and responding to critical incidents including in-custody deaths, deputy-involved shootings, and significant use of force incidents. Before working with LASD, Mr. Smith was selected to be the first-ever Independent Police Auditor for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), where he developed the Office of the Independent Police Auditor (OIPA) from the ground up. OIPA was responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct; reviewing BART Police Department investigations; recommending changes to policy; developing an alternative dispute resolution process for complaints; and engaging in a robust program of community outreach.  Prior to his appointment at BART, Mr. Smith was the First Deputy Chief Administrator of Chicago's Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA). As First Deputy, Mr. Smith established internal policies to effectively and efficiently allow IPRA to meet its goals and obligations; supervised the day-to-day operations of the office; directed investigations into officer-involved shootings and complaints of excessive force; and represented IPRA at community events and meetings with other law enforcement agencies.  Mr. Smith has also served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.