Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) Commission

The OPAT Commission has the power to:

• create rules, regulations, and procedures necessary to guide the conduct of investigations and making of findings and recommendations by OPAT Staff
• subpoena witnesses and compel testimony under oath by a two-thirds vote
• resolve differences between the Civilian Review Board (CRB) and the Internal Affairs Oversight Panel (IAOP)

The OPAT Commission also holds a minimum of four (4) community meetings each year across Boston neighborhoods to inform and update the community about the work of OPAT and to be informed by the community on matters of police transparency, BPD policies and procedures, and other matters of policing in Boston. At these meetings, the Commission will provide a public report on OPAT activities for the quarter including:

• the disposition of cases referred by OPAT to the CRB and IAOP
• the disposition of CRB cases referred to the Police Commissioner, what discipline was recommended, and what discipline was implemented by the Commissioner
• the number of complaints received, the type of misconduct alleged, the investigatory status of those complaints
• the race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and age of complainants, and
• any practices or policy investigations ongoing or completed, as well as any policy recommendations made to the Boston Police Department (BPD).

Community meetings include a public comment period where members of the public may address the OPAT Commission regarding any issue relevant to OPAT's jurisdiction.