City of Las Cruces hires a new police auditor

LAS CRUCES — After more than a year with an open position, the City of Las Cruces has finally hired a new independent police auditor.

On Tuesday, the Las Cruces City Council approved a contract with OIR Group, a firm based out of Playa del Rey, California, with a 7-0 vote.

The firm’s website says the company is led by a “veteran former federal civil rights prosecutor” and seeks to address the unprecedented public concern around the performance of police departments sparked by “widespread protests and spiraling jury verdicts.”

A cursory look shows OIR has done work in cities all over the U.S., such as Portland, Oregon; Chicago; Denver; Iowa City; and Madison, Wisconsin. OIR has been hired by a number of police and sheriff’s departments in California.

Las Cruces has gone without an independent police auditor since August 2019 when its contract with the Public Safety Strategies Group expired.