FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD)- The City of Fort Worth has selected its new police monitor.
Following a nationwide search, City Manager David Cooke has tapped Bonycle Sokunbi as its new director of the Office of Police Oversight Monitor.
Sokunbi, who will be tasked with providing independent oversight and accountability to the Fort Worth Police Department, is currently the deputy police monitor in New Orleans.
"She has a long line of history and experience that she will bring to the City of Fort Worth," says Fort Worth criminal justice advocate Cory Session.
Sokunbi was chosen over the other finalist, Michelle Phillips, the inspector general for the City of Oakland, California.
"Both of them were excellent candidates," says Session, "but Sokunbi had a better background and a longer history of doing this type of job, and growing cities and improving them."
Session says he's happy with how the hiring process played out.
"The police chief (Neil Noakes) was a part of the selection process as well, which is a good thing," says Session. "So that will ensure us that the police chief and his command staff will work well with the new police monitor."
Sokunbi will replace Kim Neal, who left for a similar role in Virginia.
"She is in line with some of the things that the former police monitor, Kim Neal, was doing," says Session, "and I hope she'll take what Kim was doing and expand on it."
Sokunbi will begin her new job in September.
"I want this police monitor to work independent of the police department, internal affairs, as well as not succumb to any type pressure, including from her own boss, the city manager, and the Fort Worth City Council," Session says.
Now that Fort Worth will have a new police monitor, Session says now what the city needs is a police citizen review board, which the City Council has recently tabled.
"A lot of cities that are the same size as the City of Fort Worth have both a police monitor and a citizens review board," says Session, "and I think they work well."
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