BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — On Thursday, May 11, City of Boise confirmed the law firm investigating the potential race at the Boise police Department will present findings to City Council on Tuesday, May 16. They will be joining council work session through Zoom.
On Sunday, Nov. 20, it came to light that a former Boise Police Captain participated in a white nationalist conference, according to a statement from Boise Mayor Lauren McLean.
Matthew Bryngelson appeared under a fake name on the speaker list for the American Renaissance Conference. The Southern Poverty Law Center says the conference draws Klansmen, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists.
Bryngelson appeared to have written blog posts under a pseudonym about the time in his police career when he “became aware of the violent tendencies of Blacks.”
Bryngelson retired from Boise Police in August. According to the city, he worked for the department for more than 20 years and served in many roles including Field Training Officer, Neighborhood Contact Officer, Narcotics Detective, SWAT member, Patrol Sergeant, NCO Unit Sergeant, Gang Unit and Training Unit Lieutenant.
On Monday, Nov. 21, BPD released a statement regarding Bryngelson and his participation in a white nationalist conference.
The statement said, "The Boise Police Department unequivocally states there is no room for racist ideologies, hatred, bigotry, or behaviors among members of the Boise Police Department, and we publicly condemn such in the strongest possible terms."
BPD continued by adding the department is not for others that share similar thoughts, feelings, values or ideologies. BPD said it will take swift action against anyone who may harbor similar sentiments.
Mayor Mclean also launched an investigation to determine if Bryngelson violated the rights of any residents during his 22 years with the agency. McLean said the investigation will also look into whether Bryngelson or others used agency resources to “advance a racist ideology.”
McLean announced the investigation when she addressed leaders and city officials during a bargaining meeting between the city and BPD's union.
BPD released a statement on Monday promising to fully cooperate with the independent investigation.
Boise Police Cpl. Denny Carter, a union member, said union leaders support the investigation. The union has about 240 officers and sergeants.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Mayor McLean joined members of the Boise City Council, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar and the local police union leader to discuss the next steps in the investigation of Bryngelson.
Mayor Mclean said the investigation will be conducted by Michael Bromwich and his team at Steptoe and Johnson. She said he is a former DOJ inspector general, led a recent investigation into the Baltimore Police Department and has experience with civil rights work.
On Friday, Dec. 2, Mayor McLean and the Boise City Council placed Jesus Jara, Director of the Office of Police Accountability for BPD, on administrative leave.
The decision was made with direction from Mayor McLean and Boise City Council Members Clegg, Woodings and Hallyburton, who serve as oversight to OPA, in response to ongoing concerns with professional judgment and lack of confidence in the actions of the office.
Just hours later, Jara's lawyers with Hepworth Law Offices sent CBS2 a letter:
On Tuesday, Dec. 6, Boise City Council unanimously approved a $500,000 contract to hire D.C. law firm Steptoe and Johnson to investigate whether retired Boise Police Captain Matt Bryngelson's views affected the department or the city.
Bryngelson filed a discrimination complaint against the City of Boise on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
The Bryngelson complaint alleges he had been “diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety,” and that in September 2021 he became “despondent and suicidal as a result of the harassment and workplace hostility from Chief Ryan Lee.”
OPA Director Jesus Jara was removed from his position during a special meeting of the Boise City Council on the morning of Dec. 9.
The city reports that in a meeting held on Nov. 22, Jara reported viewing over 8,000 body-cam videos in 2022.
Notes from the November meeting show a discussion of several incident case reviews involving BPD officers. Three of the incidents had officer-involved shootings.
Issues in the body-cam videos were also discussed. Some of these issues with BPD officers include conduct unbecoming, truthfulness, muting of microphones, the performance of duty, on-body videos during party contact, demeanor and rudeness, criminal conduct, use of force and driving violations.
On Monday, Dec. 12, Jara filed a lawsuit against the City of Boise. Jara alleges retaliation, wrongful termination and illegal implementation of rules, policies, and procedures in violation of Idaho’s Whistleblower Act. In the lawsuit, it said that Jara is requesting money damage and equitable relief for more than $10,000.
The lawsuit also addressed details and timelines about events during Jara's employment. It states that Jara was concerned about how OPA would investigate high-ranking complaints against Boise Police leadership, including former Chief of Police Ryan Lee.
Jara claims the OPA received numerous complaints about Lee in February 2022. According to the lawsuit, Jara went to the City with those complaints but his concerns were dismissed by the Mayor's Chief of Staff Courtney Washburn. The lawsuit also addresses comments about the police body camera footage.
The lawsuit goes on to say that the City falsely accused OPA of “live auditing” BPD’s on-body video (OBV) and that OPA does not have the capabilities to “live stream” on-body video footage.
The following day, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, the Boise Mayor and City Council met with Steptoe & Johnson, the D.C. law firm that’s investigating the department.
The focus of the investigation is to find out if racist or white supremacist views infected the department's work through enforcement practices.
Mayor McLean said this investigation is designed to look at policing in the community and provide the best service possible.
Council Member Lisa Sanchez brought up concerns she had with the city and suggested there could be problems beyond just the police. Sanchez, a former civil rights investigator, and the only person of color on the Boise City Council, says she encountered issues upon being elected to the city council back in 2017.
Sanchez says there are big issues within the city of Boise that may go beyond the scope of this investigation. "My concern is that we scapegoat one department when we may have issues that permeate our entire organization. It's not one individual who does that," she said.
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