Can investigation into Boise Police Department restore faith in City Hall? | Opinion

An investigation into the racist attitudes expressed by retired Boise Police Capt. Matt Bryngelson is absolutely warranted.

The city of Boise this month hired lawyer Michael Bromwich, of the Washington, D.C., law firm Steptoe & Johnson, to investigate whether Bryngelson’s racist attitudes infected his work and whether racist or white supremacist views infected the behavior of other officers.

The cost of the investigation is not to exceed $500,000 and is expected to last no longer than December 2023.

We support a full and vigorous investigation, which is needed to maintain — or perhaps restore — faith in the Boise Police Department.

Hiring Steptoe & Johnson presents a mixed bag, though.

Steptoe & Johnson certainly has the bona fides and has developed a national reputation for conducting sensitive internal investigations, particularly investigations of police departments.

Bromwich’s recent investigation into corruption in the Baltimore Police Department has earned accolades, and he was hired last year to represent the city of Phoenix in a Department of Justice investigation of that city’s police department.

But we are concerned with the process that went into determining the amount of the contract and selecting the law firm to conduct the investigation.

Steptoe & Johnson was the only firm forwarded by Boise Mayor Lauren McLean to the City Council for approval. We understand the urgency of the matter, but we would have rather seen some sort of expedited process for a request for qualifications and more involvement by council members.

If Steptoe & Johnson were to come out as the best firm in that process, so be it.

If the city of Boise wants to maintain the public trust, a more transparent process would go a long way.

Be that as it may, City Council members were OK with Steptoe & Johnson, and we are confident the firm will conduct a thorough and professional investigation.

We have been assured that Bryngelson is the primary focus of the investigation — whether his deplorable views affected his management decisions, recruitment practices or his treatment of suspects and the public in his capacity as a Boise police officer for the past 24 years.

If that investigation leads to other threads within the department, the investigation will pursue those as they relate to police conduct and the trust it holds with the public.

What is most important to us is transparency. It is vital — if the city of Boise and the Boise Police Department are to earn and maintain the trust of the public — that the investigation results and any recommendations for change be open to the public.

The city of Boise has had a spotty record on transparency across the board, but perhaps especially when it comes to the Police Department. Officer complaints against former Police Chief Ryan Lee were kept secret for months, and an Office of Police Accountability report about those complaints remains hidden from public view today.

In a letter to McLean about accusations that Lee had injured an officer during a training demonstration, the Clearwater County prosecutor wrote that his decision not to charge Lee with a crime was “a close call.” But City Council members Holli Woodings and Elaine Clegg told the editorial board that they were not aware of that letter until it was released to reporters after a public records request.

The Bryngelson revelations are the culmination of what can only be described as a mess at the city of Boise.

The complaints about Lee, his consequent resignation, followed by the firing of the director of the Office of Police Accountability suggest a pattern of mismanagement and bad decisions.

We hope the Steptoe & Johnson investigation can restore some semblance of normalcy.

An investigation into Bryngelson and whether his racist beliefs infected his job is certainly needed. Whether that investigation expands and uncovers deeper problems within the department remains to be seen.

We hope that this investigation will help restore faith in the police department. But can the investigation restore faith in City Hall?