Who we are

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 progressed to increasingly advanced leadership roles within the various entities he has served.

In 2024, Mr. Smith was appointed by a federal court as the Lead Monitor overseeing a Settlement Agreement on policing between the United States Department of Justice and the City of Portland, Oregon. Directing a team of experienced colleagues, Mr. Smith is responsible for conducting objective assessments of Portland’s compliance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement and reporting the team’s findings to the Court. In addition to completing these assessments, Mr. Smith and his team also identify potential barriers to compliance, provide technical assistance as needed, and carry out an extensive program of engagement with Portland’s broadly diverse communities.

It is our dedication to healthy and effective policing that motivates us.

Before serving as the Lead Monitor in Portland, Mr. Smith was selected to be the Inspector General of the LAPD — placing him in charge of the same office where his career in civilian oversight of law enforcement got started. As Inspector General, Mr. Smith was responsible for ensuring that the OIG conducted robust and effective oversight of the LAPD. Among other things, he guided a staff of professionals in analyzing uses of force as well as use of force investigations, monitoring the LAPD’s internal affairs system, continuously engaging in community outreach, and producing public reports — with substantive recommendations for improvement — on a wide range of topics (officers’ employment of de-escalation principles, the operations of the Mental Evaluation Unit, adherence to national best practices in policing, demographic disparities in law enforcement detentions, the use of data-driven policing strategies, etc.).

Prior to his appointment as LAPD’s Inspector General, Mr. Smith was a Constitutional Policing Advisor with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD). He was responsible for advising the Sheriff on issues related to accountability, adherence to best practices, policies, procedures, and operations; providing real-time monitoring, analysis, and advice to LASD investigators and executives on pending personnel investigations and disciplinary matters; and responding to critical incidents including in-custody deaths, deputy-involved shootings, and other significant use of force incidents.

Before his work with the LASD, Mr. Smith was selected to be the first-ever Independent Police Auditor for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), where he developed the Office of the Independent Police Auditor (OIPA) from the ground up. OIPA was responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct; reviewing BART Police Department investigations; recommending changes to policy; developing an alternative dispute resolution process for complaints; and engaging in a robust program of community outreach.

Prior to his appointment at BART, Mr. Smith was the First Deputy Chief Administrator of Chicago’s Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA). As First Deputy, Mr. Smith established internal policies to effectively and efficiently allow IPRA to meet its goals and obligations; supervised the day-to-day operations of the office; directed investigations into officer-involved shootings and complaints of excessive force; and represented IPRA at community events and meetings with other law enforcement agencies.

In addition to these career endeavors, Mr. Smith has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, and he is a founding Board Member of the Western States Chapter of the Association of Inspectors General. He also co-authored written testimony, focused on building legitimacy and public trust through civilian oversight, which was received by The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. Mr. Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law.