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Police accountability director reports spike in complaints, launches digital records project and language‑access updates
Summary
The Department of Police Accountability told the commission it has more open cases than a year earlier, rescinded planned layoffs after negotiations, and began a project to digitize historical case files while expanding multilingual phone support.
Paul Henderson, executive director of the Department of Police Accountability, told the commission on Sept. 3 that DPA has seen a roughly 27% increase in new cases this year compared with the same point in 2024 and that staff caseloads are about 20% higher than last year.
Henderson said the department successfully negotiated to rescind layoff notifications and reclaimed the at‑risk positions that had been identified earlier in the year. He told commissioners the office remains in compliance with required investigatory deadlines under the department—s oversight mandates; as of the meeting there were 10 investigations that had exceeded 270 days, but he said all but one were under tolling and that the remaining long case would close by the end of the week.
Digitalization and language access: Henderson announced the start of a multiyear digitalization project to scan and upload DPA—s historical records to the cloud, funded in part by a special grant. The office estimates the archive encompasses approximately 1,400 boxes containing more than 2 million documents dating back to 1983; Henderson said the effort will improve searchability and information sharing with the commission, SFPD and the public.
Henderson also said the agency—s phone message system now offers service in seven languages to improve access and expects the change to raise filings and participation from non‑English speakers, citing a prior language‑access effort that increased case intake by the agency by roughly 53%.
Regional conference and policy work: DPA co‑hosted a regional conference with the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) that covered AI safeguards, immigration and oversight, and other topics; Henderson thanked commission Vice President Benedicto and SFPD staff for participation. He said policy items will appear in the meeting packet as part of the consent calendar.
Ending: Henderson said DPA staff are working to improve reporting formats and will reach out to commissioners to collect the specific data points they want included in future reports. He closed by noting staff are stretched but remain current on mandated deadlines.
