New data shows the impact Fort Worth’s police oversight office is having in the community.
On Tuesday night, leaders of Fort Worth's Office of Police Oversight Monitor held a meeting to raise awareness of the tools people can use to hold the department accountable. In a town hall conversation in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of East Fort Worth, the city’s independent police monitor highlighted the work her office has done in 2024.
“Overall, we’re seeing complaints from all over the city,” OPOM Director Bonycle Sokunbi told NBC 5. “A number of districts, of the varying council districts.”
Sokunbi has been in the role since last year.
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Her office doesn’t investigate and dictate punishment for officers. Instead, they can send claims of wrongdoing to the Fort Worth Police Department and have full oversight of their internal affairs investigation.
Over the first five months of 2024, Sokunbi said her office received 29 complaints against officers. The most common complaint was a failure to investigate a case, followed by claims of harassment or intimidation.
“While we’re excited that we’ve only seen 29, we also are concerned that if there is more misconduct that’s happening, we want to remind people that they should be comfortable to come to us and tell us about those interactions,” Sokunbi said.
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The office also offers mediation sessions, during which citizens can sit down with an officer to discuss their concerns about an interaction.
Some felt that would be a positive step toward strengthening connections between police and the community.
“If something happens I want to be able to call the cops, but I want to trust that the cops are going to be there to truly help me,” said Chrystal Powell.
No complaints have been filed with OPOM out of District 11 this year, and Councilwoman Jeanette Martinez said she believed her district has a good relationship with the police.
She said the oversight office has been good for public safety and has helped people understand how to get officers to answer for their actions if needed.
“We really need to be out in the community as much as possible, educating them on what’s out there,” Martinez said.
The city's police oversight resources and option to file a complaint can be found here.
