City Government
Boise Ombudsman Acting City Attorney
October 25, 2018 
Unless Boise’s Team Dave has quietly appointed a new person to oversee police “critical incidents,” the current ombudsman will be in a position to both investigate and defend Boise coppers.
Seems that Natalie Camacho Mendoza, the ombudsman, is also the interim Boise City Attorney, according to an e-mail notification sent to Fourth District Court.
Camacho Mendoza was apointed to head the “office of police oversight” in July 2015 and confirmed by the city council. At the time of her appointment, Mayor Dave Bieter said, “This office has played an important role in improving the transparency of our police operations and building strong community trust between the police department and the public,” said Mayor Bieter. “Natalie’s experience and perspective will help us build on that success by deepening accountability and establishing herself as a robust partner in our law enforcement effort.”
While Boise’s police department has undergone fewer questionable police misconduct charges in the recent past, the GUARDIAN still questions the ethics of having the same attorney defending the police (and city) whose duty it is to represent the public and hold the coppers accountable. Sounds like a conflict to us.
We hear there are plans afoot to name one of Camacho Mendoza’s part time assistants to the part time position. Check her LINKEDIN page.
UPDATE 10/26/18
After the GUARDIAN posted this story, the IDAHO PRESS contacted the mayor’s office where it was suddenly revealed the former city attorney, Robert Luce, was no longer at the helm of the legal department, Camacho Mendoza was the acting boss, and investigator Cliff Ohler is now the interim director of the office of police oversight. The moves were termed “administrative action,” which means there was no transparent public city council decision process as there normally is when these jobs are filled.
After the GUARDIAN story posted, another legacy media outlet was told Camacho Mendoza had left the ombudsman post and an interim replacement had been appointed, but the city was not ready to release the name.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Oct 25, 2018, 4:09 pm
Mayor sez–“This office has played an important role in improving the transparency of our police operations and building strong community trust between the police department and the public.”
Mr. Mayor, you are losing us!!!
Oct 25, 2018, 9:20 pm
Guardian, and most of the readers:
This is easy.
Firstly, the commies kill anyone who might be smart enough to figure out they are completely full of crap, so be careful.
What are we looking at here? This is a great example of the commie concept. (minority woman) is simply a paid place holder…. doing nothing of course…. for a bunch of money (prime directive of any lawyer).
True to commie takeover concept, most people are clueless as to why this fraud matters…. also most not smart enough to figure out… The masses are far more concerned about tonight’s warm beer crisis and cold Domino’s crisis.
I see nothing here that won’t be overcome with a Disneyland-like circulating trolley in Boise.
Nuts? No! Sad but mostly true.
EDITOR NOTE–potentially offensive reference edited out.
Oct 26, 2018, 1:11 pm
Is the city attorney’s office leaking lawyers? The chief deputy left quietly this summer, now the boss.
You have to admit that they’ve been giving some strange legal advice lately. However, “commies”?! I don’t think so — more like (petty) oligarchs.
According to today’s “Idaho Press,” according to his LinkedIn profile, the city attorney for the past four years has also been head of an Idaho & Hawaii real estate co. since 2004.
Oct 27, 2018, 9:39 pm
So the Boise Planning Director owns his own development firm, and the former City Attorney owned a real estate company?
The Deputy City Attorney left and now the City Attorney left.
What IS going on here, people??
EDITOR NOTE–Development Services Director has also left.
Oct 28, 2018, 9:15 am
The reoccurring theme here is the same appointment mechanism sans public hearings. The NPCs that vote for Team Dave accept this. When Brent Coles was mayor, or Kempthorne…there were calls for transparency. Now, Coles created his own mess and Dirk used the mayor’s office as a political stepping stone. Transparency is always warranted, no matter who is in office. This double duty attorney is problematic. Where is the loyalty? City Council or Citizens. Which hat does one wear?
EDITOR NOTE–We are seeking documents to show her resignation as oversight director and appointment of interim attorney along with appointment interim oversight guy we are told is “watching things” at the oversight office. Doesn’t look like there was any council action or advertising of openings by HR dept.
Oct 30, 2018, 12:53 am
The reason there is so many ciity attorneys leaving
is because their job has become increasingly harder
to do with moral so low at the police department.
Chief Bones has drug the department so low that
officers only want to do the bare minimum and go
home. He also dismantled the DUI enforcement
team and the crash reconstruction team.
Communication between the the attorneys
office and the police department is nil. This makes
it pretty hard to prosecute cases.
Oct 30, 2018, 11:01 pm
Does it cost monehh to send cases to the city attorney? Hmmm.. Let’s not do that. Stall. Avoid. Don’t offer appropriate professional inquiry. Nor read, nor fully understand the codes ahead of time like a licensed person would. Thus, we quit.
Nov 1, 2018, 11:31 pm
Can you tell me more about Chief Bones and the PD? This is the first time I have heard anything negative. He honestly seems like a pretty wonderful person.
EDITOR NOTE–From the perspective of this 50 year observer of BPD, Bones is the best we have ever had. He is the Boise police chief rather than chief of the Boise police, an important distinction.