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Former official details yearlong police audits, cites policy and evidence-room fixes
Summary
Kenny Williams told the McFarland City Council he led a series of audits of the police department over the past 18 months covering officer speed data, use-of-force reviews, body-worn camera compliance, evidence storage and policy updates and said the work has reduced legal risk and improved oversight.
Kenny Williams told the McFarland City Council on June 25 that he led multiple audits of the McFarland Police Department over the past year and a half covering officer speeds, use-of-force reports, body-worn camera usage, the property room and homicide case files.
Williams said the work produced updated policies, corrected storage and documentation problems and addressed personnel investigations. “When we audit police officers’ work, they know we’re going to audit them. So they do a good job,” Williams said during public comment.
The audits Williams described included: a review of GPS speed reports for officers (completed March 29, 2024); a use-of-force audit (completed May 31, 2024); body-worn camera compliance (completed June 5, 2024); a property-room audit (final report May 2025); and audits of evidence and files in multiple homicide cases (completed Jan. 30, 2025). He also said the department updated and revised numerous policies through late 2024 and into 2025.
Williams said the city now has unified homicide case files, including six cases originally handled by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and that those files have been scanned into the city system and assigned to investigators. He added that personnel investigations conducted during the period had produced disciplinary steps and that, in his view, thorough investigations reduce the city’s exposure to litigation.
Council members responded with praise. Vice Mayor Rick Connell said the audits provided new information and thanked Williams for his work. Councilor Gutierrez called self-audits “difficult” but “good to see,” and Councilor Perez said the audits support the city’s success.
Williams spoke from the public-comment period; no council action or formal resolution resulted from the presentation. He closed by saying he appreciated the opportunity to help the city and invited questions; none were raised that changed the described audit work.
Ending — The council reserved no formal follow-up action on the audits during the meeting; members expressed support and asked staff to continue oversight and policy maintenance.
