The Alexandria City Council unanimously hired the city’s interim independent policing auditor on Tuesday night.
Florence Finkle of the California-based OIR Group will sign her contract to be the interim auditor on Oct. 29, as the city begins a national search for the permanent position.
Finkle and the OIR Group will replace Ameratu Kamara, the city’s auditor since January 2025, who resigned earlier this month. Kamara was the city’s second-ever auditor, after the death of auditor Kim Neal, who was appointed in 2022.
OIR Group conducts police oversight for Anaheim, Eureka, Santa Cruz, Palo Alto, Modesto, Santa Rosa, Davis, and the counties of Santa Clara and Monterey, Calif., as well as serving as the interim monitor for the City of Boulder, Colo.
An attorney for more than 30 years, Finkle is a former prosecutor in the New York County District Attorney’s Office and worked with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board as its deputy director and executive director. She is also the president of the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.
“The selection of OIR Group reflects the City Council’s commitment to ensuring transparency and building trust in our law enforcement,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins said in a release. “OIR Group’s track record in independent policing oversight makes them an excellent partner to lead the Office of the Independent Policing Auditor and work with the Independent Community Policing Review Board during this time.”
Kamara resigned after City Council requested more information on her report on the death of Allan Tucker II in police custody, which is the first case the Independent Community Policing Review Board has investigated in five years. The auditor was also supposed to conduct an investigation of a fatal police-involved shooting in the West End in May.
The review board’s Oct. 7 meeting was cancelled following Kamara’s resignation, and the next is scheduled for Nov. 4.
