A Madison police oversight panel is examining whether it can consider a complaint seeking the firing of Officer Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, who fatally shot Corey Ruiz in July. Blacks for Political and Social Action of Dane County filed the complaint after the July 22 shooting at the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin streets. The group alleges that Baitinger-Peterson violated department policies governing the use of force and de-escalation. It also asks the Police and Fire Commission to impose severe suspensions or terminate three other officers involved, arguing they failed to prevent what the complaint calls unnecessary deadly force. The commission is the only city body authorized under Wisconsin law to fire a Madison police officer. At a brief hearing Tuesday, commission President Mary Schauf said she had begun a preliminary review of two questions: whether the commission has legal authority to decide the complaint and whether the organization has standing to bring it. The sides are scheduled to submit additional information in November and continue the hearing in December. Attorney Kate Harrell, representing Baitinger-Peterson through the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, asked the commission to dismiss the complaint. She argued in a filing that the organization does not have legal standing and urged the commission to pause its proceedings until any criminal investigation is complete. The Rev. David Hart, an attorney and president of the political action committee, and Vice President Kirbie Mack argued that the group does qualify to file the complaint. They cited their interest in protecting themselves, their families and their communities. “How could concern for the killing of a citizen by a police officer not be sufficient?” they wrote. Baitinger-Peterson shot Ruiz, a 38-year-old Black man, after officers were dispatched to Madison’s Marquette neighborhood in response to a report of someone checking parked cars, according to police. The state Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting the required outside review of the officer-involved death. After that investigation, the case will be sent to Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, who will decide whether criminal charges are warranted. The state investigation is separate from any Madison Police Department internal-affairs review and from the commission’s disciplinary process. About 30 people submitted written comments before Tuesday’s hearing. All but one supported the complaint, with some calling for Baitinger-Peterson’s removal from the department. The commission has four members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council, though one seat is vacant. Member Azure Fudge Hart has recused herself because she is married to David Hart, who is representing the group that filed the complaint. Ruiz’s death prompted protests and renewed scrutiny of police use of force in Madison. An encampment formed near the shooting site on Willy Street, contributing to escalating tensions among police, demonstrators and city officials. Baitinger-Peterson has nearly 11 years of law-enforcement experience. Madison Police Chief John Patterson has described him as a veteran officer. He joined the department in 2015 after participating in its internship program, later serving as a patrol officer, a neighborhood officer in Darbo-Worthington and a member of the gang and neighborhood crime abatement team. He joined the Central District Community Police Team this year. The case has also intensified calls for greater police transparency. Most Madison officers do not wear body cameras, and publicly available footage of the shooting has come from bystander video shared on social media. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway’s proposed capital budget includes roughly $415,000 for 220 cameras, equipment and training, with deployment planned over three years beginning with the North District. Ruiz’s family has urged state lawmakers to require body cameras statewide.