Charlotte is waiting on an independent analysis of how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) handled protests after last year’s fatal police shooting of Keith Scott, the Charlotte Observer reports. Charlotte City Council hired – at nearly a $380,000 expense to taxpayers – the Police Foundation in Washington, D.C., to research CMPD’s actions, draft recommendations and write a report. The report was due by Aug. 30. Some City Council members expected it earlier because they approved the spending in November 2016 and were told the report would be back in about six months.
The report is still a few weeks away from being ready. Other than saying the foundation needed more time to “compile, revise and edit the final report,” city officials gave no other explanation for the delay. City officials say they never received monthly progress reports on the foundation’s work, despite the contract requiring it. Wednesday is the anniversary of Scott’s death. Some members of the City Council say they approved the Police Foundation contract after Scott was killed because they wanted an in-depth study of police policies and procedures related to fatal shootings by officers. Instead, the pending report – tentatively titled “Reuniting Charlotte” – is expected to focus on how the police department handled last September’s protests and the department’s relations with the community. One person was killed during the protests that followed and more than 80 people were arrested. City and police officials were sharply criticized by some in the community for levying a city-wide curfew and using rubber bullets and tear gas on protesters.