Susan Hutson is the Independent Police Monitor for the City of New Orleans. She started the job in 2010, as the New Orleans police department was undergoing reforms. The department entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice im 2013, and is still in the process of meeting the goals of the decree. The office of the Independent Police Monitor oversees investigations of officers, how the department investigates certain cases, and engagement with the community. They take reports from citizens in the community about officer interactions and investigate them all year. The office also manages a mediation program for officers and community members to handle certain disputes. Susan is also the current president of the National Association for Citizen Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE).
In the interview, she discusses police oversight, the role of citizens in oversight, and the calls for reform that have emerged recently across the country.