Independent Court Appointed Monitoring Team

Mark P. Smith is the Lead Monitor of the Settlement Agreement on Policing in Portland. Mr. Smith has spent his entire professional career overseeing law enforcement agencies of different sizes and geographies, ensuring their accountability to the public whom they serve. Beginning with his first position out of law school, as a Special Investigator with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Mr. Smith has....

Deputy Monitor Russell G. Bloom retired this year from his role as the Independent Police Auditor at the BART Office of the Independent Police Auditor (OIPA) where he led the agency since 2016. Mr. Bloom came to OIPA as an Investigator in 2014 after working as an in-house investigator at an Oakland, CA civil litigation firm. Mr. Bloom has provided law enforcement oversight consulting services for San José, CA, Oakland,....

Brian Buchner is an Assistant Inspector General with the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) where he leads the office’s Audit Section. Brian has held several roles within the OIG, including as a Police Special Investigator in the Use of Force, Complaints, and the former Special Investigations and Compliance sections. Prior to rejoining the OIG as an Assistant Inspector General, Brian served as the City Homelessness....

Susruta Sudula is a Senior Forensic Auditor in the Police Integrity Division at the Office of Inspector General for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) where she performs a variety of investigative, data and policy support functions. Susruta is also an Advisory Board Member at Essential Personnel, where she provides academic guidance in the development of a safety/wellness software designed for the public safety professionals. Prior....

Robert holds a PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice and is an independent researcher, statistician, business executive, teacher, and programmer. He has spent over 26 years designing and executing data-driven analyses, evaluating programs and policies, and developing analytic tools to improve efficiency. His work has spanned industries across a wide range of disciplines such as criminology and criminal justice, healthcare quality improvement, marketing research, and software development. Dr. Fornango's expertise....

Cori Lowe is a retired Deputy Chief of Police for the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). She started her law enforcement career in 2005 after serving in the United States Air Force and continued her education, earning her master’s degree in public administration in 2011. During her law enforcement career, Cori worked various assignments, including uniformed patrol, field training officer, crisis intervention officer, violent crimes, special investigations, internal affairs force investigations,....

Val Thomas is a retired Police Captain III from the Los Angeles Police Department, with over 27 years of distinguished service. Throughout her career, she developed strong, collaborative relationships with diverse communities, businesses, and faith-based organizations, fostering trust and mutual respect. She provided critical oversight for investigations, including use of force cases, as well as workplace, community, and criminal personnel complaints, to ensure constitutional policing, organizational accountability, and effective training.....

Antoinette is a dedicated community leader and advocate with extensive experience in social justice and public service. She is renowned for her work in fostering inclusive communities and supporting youth and families through various initiatives. As the former director of the Office of Youth Violence Prevention in Portland, she played a pivotal role in implementing strategies that promoted safety and equity. Antoinette’s impactful career reflects her unwavering commitment to uplifting....

Jose “Che” Ramirez operates under his consulting business Community Homelessness Expertise (CHE) LLC with close to 20 years of experience working as a homeless and housing leader and policy expert in both the nonprofit and public sectors. He currently contracts as a Senior Advisor on Homelessness for Mayor Bass working closely on key initiatives such as Inside Safe, Latinx Homelessness, and emergency response. He previously served as Deputy Mayor of....