Boise changes tune, promises to publicize Office of Police Accountability reports
The city of Boise’s Office of Police Accountability could look a little more transparent from now on.
City spokesperson Justin Corr told the Idaho Statesman on Thursday that the office will start issuing news releases when it completes an investigation, a stark reversal from its earlier position of not issuing releases.
The decision came a day after the Statesman published an article detailing how the office, under Director Jesus Jara, released six reports on Boise Police Department shootings without notifying the public.
Jara had said he did not want to make “a news item” out of the releases and said he had no plans to do so. But Corr said members of the media could expect a short release when a report is released in the future.
The reports also lacked specific details about the names of those involved, the dates they occurred or any other identifying details, because a city ordinance that prevents those disclosures. Jara said it was the office’s goal to keep details to vague to prevent the public from knowing which cases were being discussed.
The six reports detail six cases of Boise police officers firing their weapons dating as far back as 2016. While nearly all found officers had acted justifiably, one report — on the 2021 shooting of Mohamud Mkoma — found that two officers violated department policy by not turning on their body cameras.
The office is still investigating five police shootings from the past year. Jara told the Boise City Council on Tuesday that those reports will be released at the conclusion of the investigations.
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