Fort Worth’s OPOM Director search: meet the finalists

Fort Worth's OPOM Director search: meet the finalists

Published on May 26, 2023

This week, Fort Worth residents can meet, learn more about and hear from the two finalist candidates for the City's new director of the Office of Police Oversight Monitor (OPOM).

Why it's important:OPOM was established in February 2020 as a way to provide oversight and accountability of the Fort Worth Police Department. The office serves as a proactive leader in law enforcement accountability to the FWPD and the population it serves.

The OPOM director's position has been vacant since last November.

A public forum is scheduledfor 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, at Como Community Center, 4660 Horne St. Final candidates for the position will be present. A moderator will use as many residents' questions as possible during the two-hour meeting. All questions will be provided to the new police oversight monitor so they can understand the community's priorities.

View the public forumlive on FWTV,Facebookand YouTube.

In addition, a websiteis live, where residents can submit questions and comments.

Biographies of the two finalist candidates are below:

Michelle N. Phillips

Phillips was appointed as the first independent inspector general for the City of Oakland in January 2022. She has spent her professional career conducting police science research and in governmental oversight.

Phillips' experience with the criminal justice system began in 2004, when she became a correctional officer. She used that experience to garner knowledge and a firsthand understanding of the school-to-prison pipeline. That invaluable experience pivoted her interest into the areas of police technical assistance and research as well as local governmental oversight as those areas are vital in the enforcement and protection of basic civil rights and civil liberties.

Prior to her appointment as inspector general, Phillips was deputy inspector general of investigations for the City of Baltimore. Among other things, she was responsible for managing the investigative unit of the office, whose task included investigating allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct and public corruption. Phillips assisted in ensuring accountability, transparency, adherence to best practices, policies, procedures and operations; by managing investigations related to individual allegations of misconduct and overseeing reviews and evaluations of different areas to identify deficiencies, lack of internal controls and areas of risk. The information derived from investigations, inspections and evaluations would be provided as guidance and recommendations to City officials as ways to improve accountability measures, address identified deficiencies in operations and mitigate risk.

Prior to her promotion to deputy inspector general, Phillips held the positions of assistant inspector general, special agent in charge and special agent in the same office. Prior to working for the City of Baltimore Office of the Inspector General, Phillips was a project associate for the National Police Foundation (now the National Police Institute), where she assisted in the implementation of a nationwide officer-involved shooting database. She also conducted research into community policing in crime hot spots to include social observations of police interactions and conducted reviews of police responses to critical incidents to include a prison riot.

Phillips holds a bachelor's degree from Coppin State University and a master's degree from the University of Baltimore. She is a member of the Association of Inspectors General as a certified Inspector General and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Bonycle Sokunbi

Sokunbi embodies what it is to be a lifelong dedicated public servant. In courtrooms, classrooms, town halls and police stations, Sokunbi has served her community and upheld the values of accountability, fairness and civil rights.

Sokunbi grew up calling Air Force bases all over the world home. From Italy to Oklahoma, Sokunbi has learned how to build meaningful connections with her community and those around her despite cultural differences, new dynamics and language differences. This is a skillset that has served her well since now she can see every circumstance from multiple perspectives, hear different and conflicting voices and opinions, and diplomatically navigate problems to find lasting solutions. Though she grew up in many time zones, in her heart, she has always considered Texas home since it is where her large family resides, and it served as a home base during every move.

Sokunbi received her bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sokunbi started her career as a program director of a Leading Edge Institute, a nonprofit in Birmingham that encourages college women to enter career fields that would change the face of leadership in Alabama. Sokunbi decided to attend law school and graduated from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 2012.

Currently, Sokunbi is deputy independent police monitor for the Office of the Independent Police Monitor in New Orleans. The Office of the Independent Police Monitor is an independent branch of city government in New Orleans - responsible for providing oversight to the New Orleans Police Department and reporting out to stakeholders in City Council, police leadership and associations, the Ethics Review Board and the community. Sokunbi joined the Office of the Independent Police Monitor as executive director of community relations where she taught a record number of Learn Your Rights in the Community Trainings to teens and adults all over Orleans Parish before quickly being moved to a new role: chief monitor of use of force.

Now, Sokunbi oversees the Use of Force Department and the Misconduct and Complaints Department along with serving as the chief of staff for the office. This position involves monitoring use of force and critical incident investigations and misconduct investigations. Sokunbi provides recommendations and input into NOPD's tactics, training, policy and discipline regarding force and misconduct. Sokunbi participates in the deliberations of disciplinary proceedings and the Use of Force Review Board. Her voice reminds the department to consider the effect of policing on the public, increase officer safety and improve officer training and supervision to ensure the department is impactful, effective and just.

Under Sokunbi's leadership, the police department has adopted new and more comprehensive standards for force, civil disturbances and the use of tear gas, and neck holds. Sokunbi has worked alongside the federal monitors overseeing the federal Consent Decree in New Orleans to present findings to the federal judge and inform reports that speak to the police department's compliance with the Consent Decree. Within the office, Sokunbi has managed the office budget, conducted hiring and onboarding, and built a small staff into a collaborative and cohesive team.

Prior to accepting her current position, Sokunbi proudly represented the people as a prosecutor in New Orleans for more than five years. As a prosecutor, Sokunbi led the prosecution team in cases ranging from low-level misdemeanors to the most egregious crimes of violence. As a prosecutor, Sokunbi practiced responsible and ethical discretion to ensure her convictions were thoughtful and comprehensive. Bonycle has modeled ethical prosecution built on constitutional policing - refusing cases if the credibility of the officer or the investigatory tactics appeared to be questionable. This is a standard she has brought into her mentoring of the next generation of prosecutors by running Judge Hunter's moot court program for law students for the last five years.

Sokunbi understands the universal impact of policing in the investigations, courtrooms, the community and beyond. She appreciates the important work of safe and constitutional policing but has seen firsthand the damage that can be caused by bad actors wearing the badge - and she has honed the ability to identify and address discriminatory practices, misconduct, corruption and unauthorized force.

To learn more, contact the Office of the Police Oversight Monitor at 817-392-6535.

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