Report: Rachel Dolezal Acted Inappropriately as Spokane Police Ombudsman
An independent investigation into Rachel Dolezal and two other members of Spokane’s volunteer Ombudsman Commission has found “behavioral misconduct during interactions with City employees,” according to KHQ and KREM.
Spokane Mayor David Condon and Council President Ben Stuckart called for Dolezal and the other two members, Kevin Berkompas and Adrian Dominguez, to resign.
“We are deeply disturbed by the facts contained in the report of findings from the independent investigator,” Condon and Stuckart said in a joint statement. “The conduct is unacceptable and falls far short of the community’s expectations of volunteers who sit on City boards and commissions.”
Twenty witnesses were interviewed during the investigation, which began May 4, more than a month before Dolezal’s race was called into question by her parents.
According to the report, persistent, if minor, harassment from Dolezal, Berkompas, and Dominguez caused another employee to resign. Dolezal was also criticized in the report for a perceived anti-police bias and for leaking confidential information. From KREM:
Dolezal and Dominguez also exhibited a bias against law enforcement within the scope of their activities as OPOC commissioners and in public, the report finds. The report cited Dolezal’s involvement with protests of recent officer-involved shootings.
The report further stated Dolezal’s position as NAACP President is a conflict of interest with her role as OPOC chair. The report said her involvement with protests of law enforcement is in conflict with her ability to serve on the OPOC in an unbiased manner.
The report also said Dolezal breached her duty on keeping confidential information by revealing the name and identity of individuals involved or potentially involved in police misconduct investigations.
On Monday, Dolezal resigned as the president of NAACP’s Spokane chapter.
