July 7, 2020
Dear Councilmembers,
I am writing to respond to the OLEO Investigation Report dated June 9, 2020. This Investigation
Report was provided to me on July 4, 2020.
Four years ago, the Council appointed me to lead and strengthen the Office of Law
Enforcement Oversight and to shape it into a leading police-oversight agency. I am proud of my
achievements at OLEO, and the work that we have accomplished as a team to enhance
accountability of the Sheriff’s Office. Many of these accomplishments are detailed in materials I
have provided to Chief of Staff Carolyn Busch as part of my reappointment process.
It has been a challenging role, and there is every indication that it will remain so, but I want to
begin by acknowledging that I am continually growing in my role as a leader and have learned
along the way.
The issues raised in the Investigation Report require that I exercise more care around
communication with my coworkers and that I ensure that they feel comfortable addressing
concerns with me. I can and will make these adjustments, and they are already underway. We
have been working with consultants to facilitate this dialogue and develop into a highperforming team (see attached report from Athena Group).
Without stepping back from this acknowledgment, I think it is important to offer some context
and information related to the issues raised in the Investigation Report.
Difficult Discussions Related to Systemic Discrimination and Implicit Bias
First and foremost, I did not seek to preferentially hire a white male in the Deputy Director
position or in any other role at OLEO.
The fact that I observed the advantages that males (especially white males) have in dealing with
other males in law enforcement settings does not mean that I condone such dynamics– in fact,
it means exactly the opposite.
In my early days on the job, my interactions with KCSO Sheriff John Urquhart and members of
his team were often frustrating, demoralizing, and difficult. This led me to comment on the role
of gender dynamics in how KCSO responded to OLEO, and whether a male may be treated
differently than OLEO’s all-female staff at the time. As I thought was evident in my
conversations with the investigator and others, I made these comments with a sense of irony
and deep frustration.
Further, any suggestion that I hired “a white male (Witness 3) to interact with the Sheriff’s
Office” is factually incorrect. The hiring decision for the position of Investigations Monitor was

 made jointly by myself and Adrienne Wat in her capacity as my deputy, and the position was
offered to that individual only after a Black male candidate, our first choice, declined the job for
another offer.
I did later comment on how well KCSO personnel responded to Andrew Repanich as a male, and
how readily he established rapport compared to the females in the office. Katy Kirschner
herself brought to my attention that KCSO personnel gave their attention to him and didn’t
really “see” her. I do not endorse these realities, but I have certainly discussed them. I continue
to resist them as they do a disservice to all.
My concerns regarding KCSO’s approach towards female OLEO staff did not affect any hiring
decision. When it came time to hire for the Deputy Director position, I promoted Adrienne Wat.
Although she did not have managerial experience, I believed in Adrienne’s talent and potential,
appreciated her good work, and expected that we could grow into our roles together. I certainly
did not view her pregnancy or motherhood as any barrier to her success in that position.
Issues of systemic bias within a law enforcement organization and the way in which they create
barriers to accountability and trust is certainly a relevant topic for an agency responsible for law
enforcement oversight. However, I recognize that when having discussions around these
sensitive and important issues with my team, it is critical that I exercise great care so as not to
exacerbate stereotypes or tensions.
For example, during the process of reviewing candidates for the community engagement
position, I made an inappropriate comment to Adrienne about one of the candidates appearing
to be “just another white guy.” Shortly thereafter, she shared with me that the comment had
bothered her and why. I immediately responded that she was right, that I was sorry and that it
would not happen again. It has not and it will not.
I have personally and professionally advocated for equity, inclusion, and diversity throughout
my life. For this work I have been honored by advocacy groups such as the NAACP and the
National Organization for Women. But that does not mean I am without my own implicit biases
as a privileged white person. Correcting our internal biases is something that all of us who
breathe the air of our racist and sexist society must do throughout our lives, and I bring
intentionality and humility to this challenge.
It is no accident that under my leadership OLEO is one of the most diverse agencies in the
county. I have worked consciously to cultivate diverse applicant pools; currently, 70+ percent of
OLEO staff members are people of color. When you bring diverse people together you are more
likely than groups of similar backgrounds to experience miscommunications and
misunderstandings, especially while still learning about one another. Learning to handle such
situations requires time, process, space, and grace.

 Language Choices
The Investigation Report discusses issues concerning poor word choices on my part. Clearly, in
this culture at this time and in this place, I have used some terms that are not appropriate even
when used casually and with no ill intent. Ever since being made aware of the response to
certain comments within this Investigation I have actively sought to alter my language choices
and have made other intentional changes around communication style.
Moving Forward
I take this feedback seriously and have been working to improve. Since becoming aware of
these concerns, I have taken proactive steps to reflect on how I show up at work and to
understand how my unconscious behaviors may have impacted my team.
Working with the management consulting firm Athena Group, my team and I have engaged in
conversations around working and communicating as a team, including a just completed 360like evaluation of me by my staff (see attached report from Athena Group).
I will always work with my staff in good faith, and I believe we have clear next steps including
developing our understanding and practices around work styles, feedback, and office culture.
Please know that I greatly value the support that the Council have shown for my work leading
OLEO over these past four years. Where I have fallen short, I am determined to improve, and
where I have had success, I am determined to do even more to fulfill the vision for strong and
meaningful independent police oversight.
Sincerely,

Deborah Jacobs