Internal Affairs Oversight Panel

Previously known as the Community Ombudsman Oversight Panel (COOP), the Internal Affairs Oversight Panel (IAOP) is an independent panel of Boston residents charged with reviewing completed investigations of the Boston Police Department's (BPD) Internal Affairs Division.

Housed within the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, the IAOP reviews the following categories of cases:

• all completed internal affairs cases at its discretion, or by referral of the Police Commissioner or City Council
• a random sample of not sustained, exonerated, or unfounded complaints, and
• all completed internal affairs cases with not sustained, exonerated, or unfounded findings appealed by complainants who allege the investigation of their complaint was unfair and/or not thorough.

The following types of cases will be automatically referred by BPD's Internal Affairs Division for review by the IAOP:

• in-custody death or serious bodily injury while in Boston Police Department custody
• use of force cases resulting in death or serious bodily injury
• allegations of excessive use of force
• allegations of unlawful arrest or stop
• allegations of perjury
• allegations of theft
• allegations of abuse of authority
• allegations that the conduct of an officer violated BPD policies regarding respectful treatment of people and/or that was motivated by discriminatory intent, including, but not limited to, slurs relating to race, expression, sexual orientation, and disability, and
• any other case deemed appropriate for review by the Police Commissioner or the Chief of the Bureau of Professional Standards.