The newly created panel tasked with investigating the Metro Transit Police Department released its first review of the department this week in a two-page document that’s drawing criticism from lawmakers and criminal justice advocates.

The report, issued on Thursday, details the panel’s review of four incidents involving Metro Transit Police, and in some cases, recommends improved internal investigation practices and better training for officers.

But notably absent from the document are dates of the incidents, names of officers or individuals involved, or narratives of what happened. While Metro officials praised the work of the panel as a step towards accountability during a meeting this week, the ambiguity of the report is drawing criticism from advocates who say it does little to solve unfair policing within the department.

“This ‘report’ is not substantive, lacks detail, and has done little to increase transparency of Metro Transit Police Department practices,” Nassim Moshiree, policy director with the DC ACLU, wrote in a statement to DCist. “WMATA’s attempt here falls far short of what’s needed and the recommendations for more training are insufficient.”

The Metro Transit Police Department’s Investigation Review Panel formed over the summer, in the wake of nation-wide protests against racism and police violence against Black people following George Floyd’s murder. Consisting of one “command-level” police officer from Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., three citizens from the jurisdictions, and one at-large member, the panel set out to review investigations conducted by MTPD, and recommend changes to the department’s policies and operations.

At its creation, advocates expressed early concern about how independent and transparent the group’s reviews of the department —which has faced several accusations of bias, discrimination, and excessive force over the last several years – could really be. The recent report, the first quarterly review to be published by the group, comes just weeks after a video online showed Metro Transit Police pinning a Black woman, who was bleeding, face-down on a Metro platform.

Metro Board Chairman Paul C. Smedberg praised the work of the panel and its first report during a board meeting on Thursday.

“Producing and publishing these reports is a very positive step and ensures a higher level of transparency and public accountability,” Smedberg said. 

But others say the lack of transparency in the report does little to improve the flawed department.

“My first impression is that this is meant to give the appearance of oversight rather than be a body that would help the public trust their claims against Metro Transit Police were taken seriously,” wrote Ward 6 Councilmember and chairman of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Charles Allen in a statement to DCist. “Whatever is created, if nearly half the members are law enforcement, I think it’s going to have a hard time earning legitimacy as a civilian-lead effort in the eyes of riders.”

The first case reviewed in the report involved an “improper arrest” that was conducted without probable cause, and ended without charges. The panel found MTPD’s investigation to be “inadequate,” and recommended training improvements for searches and internal communication. A second case related to a “biased based stop” for fare evasion, and the panel took no issue with MTPD’s handling of the situation.

The panel also reviewed an unlawful arrest involving individuals who allegedly failed to leave a parking garage, finding that the investigation by MTPD did not interview the subject and witnesses. A recommendation called for “better communication,” between the officer and “juveniles involved.”

Lastly, the panel reviewed a complaint of racial profiling against MTPD at Prince George’s County Plaza. The complaint alleged that police stopped someone for fare evasion at the station, but allowed a white person to pass through without paying. According to the report, the white person was a Metro employee, but the panel recommended better signage at employee gates.

When asked why the report contained so few details of each incident reviewed, a Metro spokesperson declined to comment, stating that the review panel is a completely separate entity from Metro. The spokesperson instructed DCist to file a Public Access Records Policy (PARP) request to access more information.

According to Patrice Sulton of the D.C. Justice Lab, the lack of detail in the report downplays the severity and impact of improper arrests and other encounters with police.

“I think that we have to think about improper arrest a little bit more seriously than we do — that is an assault,” Sulton tells DCist.  “When you put them in handcuffs and transport them away, that’s an act of violence, and it should be treated just as seriously as any other simple assault.”

Metro Transit Police Chief Ronald Pavlik issued a statement on Wednesday, thanking the panel for its investigation, and pledging to revise training “as soon as possible.” Pavlik also stated that the communication for complaints against MTPD is now moved to the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspections (OPRI), instead of individual police commanders.

To Sulton, training and quarterly reviews only go so far. While she says they can be helpful in some instances, she doesn’t see investing more money into the department as a solution to the problems the panel set out to solve.

“The idea that we would throw more money and resources their way or any additional training to make the force stronger is not what we need,” Sulton says. “We need smarter public safety solutions that actually yield results, we don’t need a bunch of armed officers arresting kids for what’s basically a trespass[ing] offense.”