—_ SPOKANE Crr¥ COUNCIL SPOKANE 596 1: Spokane Falls Blvd " \ Spokane, WA 99201-3535 (609) 625-6255 December 7, 2015 808 West Spokane Falls Boulevard 7” Floor Spokane, Washington 99201 Dear SET Thank you for your willingness to provide the City of Spokane, and its citizens, the opportunity to arrive at an understanding of the circumstances leading up to the termination of former Police Chief Frank Straub's employment. This investigation, and the resulting work product, is crucial to the future of our City and our Police Division. The City’s goal is a thorough, independent, and unimpeachable investigation into the details surrounding the termination of former Chief Straub’s employment as an aid in determining whether policy and/or legislative changes could prevent episodes like this from occurring in the future. The City Council, the Administration, City employees, and our citizens deserve nothing less. This investigation and the report to follow are required in order for the City and the Police Division to move forward and to regain the trust and confidence in our City's processes. With all that in mind, and in the spirit of cooperation, this letter describes the scope of work for this investigation. These are minimum requirements and expectations, and we anticipate that you may decide to inquire into additional related details as necessary. Fundamentally, your report should clearly describe the timing of and the extent to which the Mayor's Office, City Administrator, and Human Resources Department had knowledge of any allegations regarding harassment and/or a hostile work environment created or ignored by former Chief Straub. As well, various Council Members have serious concems regarding the delay in the City’s production of public records in response to a public records request regarding former Spokane Police Division Communications Manager Monique Cotton, In that regard, we expect that your report will provide a full understanding of the timing for the release of those documents, with a particular focus on the timeline and process for review of the documents by the City Clerk, City Administration, and the Legal Department and their preparation for dissemination, We also have serious concerns about how the City Administration handles employee complaints generally. We are concerned that the City Administration is either unable or unwilling to respond to personnel issues in a consistent, fair, and professional manner across the board, We therefore require that your report describe, in detail, both the intended goals and processes for employee complaints and investigations, and how these issues are actually handled, in the aggregate, along with specific descriptions of—« SPOKANE SOeane Cry Counen. SEOSANE 508 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. " DAG Spokane, Wa 99201-3305 (609) 625-5255 Sy WV the deficiencies in the actions of the City Administration in handling complaints like these. We need to know, as does the public and City employees, whether the City functionally applies different standards to the investigation of complaints concerning exempt and non-exempt employees. The fundamental faimess of the investigative process in situations like this is of crucial concern to City employees. We also need to know exactly how the City Administration handled the termination of former Chief Straub’s employment. For example, this should include a full understanding of the City Human Resources Department's investigation and documentation regarding the allegations conceming former Chief Straub. In general, this inquiry must describe City policy and procedure, internal investigations best practices, and whether the City complied with City policies and procedures here. We are also concemed with the scoping of the initial inquiry into former Chief Straub's actions. What some call “sexual harassment” may actually be “sexual assault,” 2 distinction particularly troubling when applied to the actions of uniformed law enforcement officers. To that end, it will be important to understand not only exactly what former Chief Straub allegedly did, but also how those facts were presented to the public, So much of our effectiveness and credibility, including policing, depends upon maintaining the trust and confidence of the public. Recent reports place that trust and confidence in serious doubt We believe that your investigation will not be deemed thorough unless specific individuals are interviewed. Prior to the commencement of your investigation, we will provide you a list of those individuals we believe have relevant information. We also recommend that you communicate to the public and to City employees that any relevant information they may have can be submitted to the investigation for review. We look forward to working with you on this very important matter and will provide the resources needed to accomplish the goals of the investigation: to discover the facts of what occurred in this situation. To that end, the Council may, as needed, give serious consideration to the possibility of issuing subpoenas under the authority of Section 117 of the Spokane City Charter, to ensure that each person who has relevant information will be involved in the investigation, either for personal testimony or for the production of relevant documents. We have the utmost confidence that your investigation, and the resulting written report, will employ a deliberative approach with a purposeful method.= SroKANe Cir¥ Counc SPOKANE sce wi. spokane Fall Blvd. Spokane, WA 99201-3535 (509) 625-6255, Nt yay Procedurally, the Council and the Mayor each wish to appoint a liaison to your investigation, to assist in whatever capacity you may need. Please advise as to the anticipated timeframe for completing your investigation and written report. Sincerely, eee? Fagan” , A ———— Councilmember Candace Mumm Councilmember Jon Snyder ) Cytdy.e delle ff Councilmember Amber Waldra cc: Nicholas Deshais, The Spokesman-Review Mitch Ryals & Jake Thomas, The Inlander KHQ KREM KXLY