The Arlington County Board approved a new contract for the county’s independent policing auditor following almost three hours of closed-door conversation this week.
Little public discussion came before or after the vote on the employment agreement with Mummi Ibrahim, who has served in the post since 2022. However, the outcome of the meeting — which appeared to focus on criminal justice issues — is that Ibrahim will now serve at the pleasure of the County Board, rather than County Manager Mark Schwartz, Board spokesperson David Barrera told ARLnow.
Schwartz is the top county executive in charge of county staff and departments, including the police department. Ibrahim works with the Community Oversight Board on independently reviewing use-of-force complaints and other public grievances against Arlington law enforcement.
“The Board thanks the County Manager for his previous supervision of this role, welcomes the current IPA as the newest appointee under the County Board, and looks forward to the continued partnership between all stakeholders to keep our community safe,” Barrera said.
The new configuration is closer to how Ibrahim’s position was originally envisioned. State legislation passed in 2022 that would have allowed the County Board to appoint the policing auditor, providing more independence, but then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) struck it down in his very first veto.
This year, Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) successfully advanced bills allowing the County Board to appoint the county’s independent policing auditor directly. The County Board made a corresponding change to the county code in June, in a decision that also provided both Ibrahim and the Community Oversight Board with access to some non-public law enforcement records: another shift resulting from changes in state law.
Barrera described the meeting on Tuesday as a “procedural follow-up” to the decision in the spring.
Ibrahim’s powers have previously been a subject of some contention among County Board members.
In late 2023, some leaders attempted to broaden the auditor’s access to police records based on what was allowed under state code at the time. Then-County Board Chair Christian Dorsey and de Ferranti introduced draft changes that would have granted Ibrahim full access to all ACPD records deemed necessary to do her job, including complaints against officers going back five years, and “unrestricted and unfettered access” to software storing those records.
The effort fizzled out amid leadership changes on the Board and concerns about potential disputes with the county’s police union.
The details of Ibrahim’s current agreement with the County Board still remain somewhat unclear. Barrera directed ARLnow to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to view her contract.
In addition to Ibrahim’s contract, Board members this week discussed “the county’s potential liability and legal limitations in connection with the officer-involved shooting on Columbia Pike,” Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said at the start of the meeting.
They also discussed new legal requirements for the Arlington County Police Department’s body-worn camera policy under state law. The closed session lasted for about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
The meeting came during what is largely an off-month for the County Board and other governing bodies in Arlington. Still, four of the five Board members attended in person, while Board member Takis Karantonis called in remotely from Greece.
