On February 3, 2022, City Manager Zach Walker issued a statement announcing the initial investigation into a whistleblower report related to concerns of overtime mismanagement within the Independence Police Department. On February 11, 2022, the City of Independence announced it had retained Dan Nelson of Spencer Fane LLP, to serve as an independent Special Counsel overseeing an investigation into certain overtime practices and issues.

On July 19, 2022, Mr. Nelson publicly shared the results of his five-month investigation, which resulted in 30 recommendations to curtail future such behaviors. These 30 recommendations fall within six categories: facilities maintenance and construction management; procurement training, staffing and compliance; overtime; police officer fatigue; accrued leave usage; and pension padding.

Over the past 56 days, the City Manager and key members of the Leadership Team have scrutinized the Special Counsel's findings and recommendations to fully understand them and develop a coordinated plan of implementation. The City Manager has established a core working group that will continue to meet weekly to evaluate progress and determine next steps until all 30 recommendations have been fully addressed. It should be noted that many of these recommendations will require the City Council to consider and adopt new policies. These will be submitted by City staff on a routine basis for adoption.

This presentation will provide an update on the progress that has been achieved to date and lay out a plan for fully implementing the recommendations made by the Special Counsel.