Dallas selects next police oversight director to independently review complaints

The city of Dallas’ next director of the police oversight office is Michele Andre, who in recent years has served as a top watchdog over officers in Albany, New York.
Andre has more than eight years of experience in public administration and police oversight, and her efforts “significantly changed trust in oversight processes in Albany,” interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said in a memo to City Council members obtained Friday by The Dallas Morning News. She’ll begin in the position Sept. 3.
In her new role, she’ll be tasked with revamping Dallas’ police oversight and navigating relations with the nation’s ninth largest police department. She did not immediately provide comment Friday when reached over the phone.
“I’m just very pleased with this hire,” John Mark Davidson, chairman of Dallas’ Community Police Oversight Board, told The News. “There’s a lot of work to do in the world of oversight, and we really need a competent director, a competent monitor, and someone who’s ready to do the work. I’m looking forward to working with her as this work gets done.”
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The selection caps a months-long search process that was conducted amid prolonged turmoil in the police oversight office. Uncertainty unfurled after Dallas’ inaugural oversight monitor — Tonya McClary — was laid off last year by former city manager T.C. Broadnax, according to board members.
An investigation published by The News in March detailed how oversight in Dallas unraveled, with tensions rising after the oversight office shared a complaint by DyNell Lane, a disabled veteran who said officers denied him a restroom and were seen on video laughing about how he soiled himself.
After that video went viral, McClary was pushed out of office and oversight lost its chief investigator, according to board members, who said the upheaval threw oversight’s power and authority into question.
The office works as a liaison between Dallas police and the Community Police Oversight Board — made up of 15 City Council appointees — and independently investigates resident complaints about police. An employee from the city’s HR department, Elaine Chandler, has filled in as interim director after McClary left in September.
In Albany, Andre spearheaded the development of fair disciplinary standards, initiated independent investigations into misconduct complaints and revamped their systems to make them more efficient, Tolbert said in the memo Friday. She has also worked as a city auditor in Albany, and has bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in criminal justice from the University at Albany.
She’s joining Dallas’ police oversight amid a widespread push by activists and board members for changes in how the office operates. Last week, City Council members declined to move the oversight office out from under the city manager — and instead tasked Tolbert with crafting a 90-day plan to overhaul Dallas police oversight.
Dallas police Chief Eddie García declined to comment.
Jaime Castro, president of the Dallas Police Association, told The News that there’s “been a troubled history” between their officers and the police oversight director. “We’re looking forward to a new start and a working relationship with the new director,” he said about Andre’s selection.
Brandon Friedman, a member of Dallas’ Community Police Oversight Board, told The News he’s relieved to finally have a new director.
“At nearly a year, the process has gone on for far too long,” he said. “I believe incoming Director Andre is very qualified and look forward to working with her to oversee DPD on behalf of Dallas residents.”
Davidson, the board chairman, said Andre has the intelligence, drive and background to succeed in the role. He said she’s expected to play a large role in rebuilding oversight and mapping out steps forward.
He hopes she can use her experience in Albany to envision a healthier model for Dallas’ police oversight.
“We have the potential to become an example or to reshape the narrative around oversight, create a model that’s healthy and sustainable and effective that can contribute to the national conversation,” Davidson said. “The ingredients are there to do that; it’s just getting the right people in place — and Michele is a great start.”