This afternoon, the City Council announced that Lisa Judge has been nominated to serve as the city’s first Inspector General for Public Safety.
Judge is currently the Principal Assistant City Attorney for Tucson Arizona, where her responsibilities include serving as senior in-house counsel for the Tucson Police Department. She has held this position for 21 years. She has a law degree from the University of Arizona. According to the press release announcing her nomination, Judge is Latina and identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community. The release includes statements from Council members Gonzalez and Juarez, Mayor Durkan, Interim Police Chief Carmen Best, and CPC co-chair Isaac Ruiz, all praising Judge’s nomination.
The position of Inspector General was created last May as part of the police accountability legislation package passed by the Council. While U.S. District Court Judge James Robart has withheld final approval of that legislation until the city completes contract negotiations with the police officers’ union, last September he gave permission for the city to move forward with the hiring process for the Inspector General and the OPA Director.
Judge’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the City Council. She was nominated by the OIG Search committee, led by Council member Lorena Gonzalez, after a ten-month national search process. If confirmed, her term will run through December 31, 2024. According to the offer letter, Judge has been offered an initial salary of $174,675, and will be subject to a performance review six months into her term.
The City Council will begin the confirmation process with a public hearing at 9:30am on Wednesday, April 25th.