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A month into taking on the role as chair of the Independent Police Oversight Board (IPOB), Stephen Ives has learned about the inner workings of the police department and the disciplinary procedures already in place.
Ives, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Houston, has spent a lot of time over the last few weeks having conversations with Houston's police chief, members of the police force, people in the community and others who've served on IPOB as part of a "comprehensive listening tour." He said his goal was to listen before making recommendations.
"In my various roles in leadership, you know, in each city that I've joined I've learned along the way that using two ears and one mouth early on is a really powerful tool in getting to really understand what the opportunities are for some early with statement changes, you know, advocacy, etc.," Ives told the Houston Daily.
Mayor Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) appointed Ives to head and oversee IPOB and work with the person hired to fill the city's newly created "Deputy Inspector General" position to look over existing police department policies and come up with recommendations for change.
"She comes with legal expertise and a background," Ives said. "We're establishing this as we speak, but we're putting together a few new processes around how cases get reviewed by us and then brought to IPOB, as well as where IPOB beats, what happens if there are dissenting opinions that come out of IPOB, so she will be our key liaison for working through all of that."
Ives told the Houston Daily that he's already been able to have a better understanding and appreciation about how the Houston Police Department operates, its hierarchical structure, and the disciplinary policies.
"Ultimately, at the end of the day we've got an amazing police force that's doing extraordinary work," Ives said. "They all deserve to make sure that there's a really strong robust accountability system I would say that it's robust and, you know, over time we'll find ways that we can continue to improve and make it even more effective in ensuring that the behaviors that are outside the realms of policy are few and far between."
Ives described his experience so far as "extraordinary" and "encouraging."
Ives said during the next 30 days, IPOB will work on "building the team" which includes bringing on four or five new members that will be chosen by Mayor Sylvester.
Ives has been active in the Houston community and played a vital role bringing 200 childcare facilities to the area, garnering partnerships with South Africa and Vietnam, putting together social activities for senior citizens and spearheading the charge against human trafficking.