City Works to Replace Police Auditor as January Retirement Deadline Nears

The Pasadena Community Police Oversight Commission is working to ensure continuity of police oversight amid ongoing investigations and policy reform reviews as Independent Police Auditor Richard Rosenthal prepares to retire on January 6, 2025.

Rosenthal’s successor has not yet been named by the City.

Transition planning was discussed during a Commission Special Meeting on Thursday, December 12.

After Rosenthal announced his retirement in July, the City launched a formal search on September 19. The Commission’s Independent Police Auditor Selection committee expressed “their desire to be a part of the interview and selection process for the new IPA as a prior ad hoc committee did in 2022,” according to work plan updates.

“The IPA RFP [Request for Proposal] has been posted on National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, Office of the Inspector General, Daily Journal, and other Judges and Arbitrators Association websites to ensure that proposals received are from qualified firms or individuals,” the September updates state.

The selection process advanced with 12 proposals received and reviewed. The ad hoc committee “conducted interviews with Dr. Rosenthal present,” who “provided his knowledge of the candidates and the thoughts of their interviews.” Following these interviews, staff sent a formal letter of recommendation to the City Council ad hoc committee.

This transition comes as several key initiatives remain active, including:

• A pretext stop evaluation with survey data analysis due January 15, 2025
• Review of 14 Use of Force cases and 36 Vehicular Pursuit cases from 2024
• Development of a new community-police mediation program
• A report on the Pasadena Police Department’s response to the 2023 Independent Police Auditor Use of Force Investigation Assessment, scheduled for the January Community Police Oversight Commission meeting

The Commission emphasized that the new auditor will need to “ensure a deep understanding of Pasadena and our work to date” while helping “set a work plan for the 2025 calendar year.”