DPA and internal-review panels report case totals, discipline trends and in-custody reviews

SAN FRANCISCO — At its April 16 meeting the Police Commission heard updates from the Department of Police Accountability and SFPD’s internal affairs and review boards, which outlined caseloads, aggregate disciplinary trends and recent reviews of officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths.

Paul Henderson, executive director of the Department of Police Accountability, told the commission that DPA has partnered with the city controller on a review of a 2023 audit concerning officer misconduct and will present findings to the commission in coming months. Henderson said that since the prior meeting DPA had opened 13 new cases and closed 22 cases, and that DPA’s case closures are up compared with the prior year; he reported there were 93 sustained cases pending with the chief and two pending with the commission.

Lieutenant Lisa Springer of Internal Affairs presented the disciplinary review board (DRB) findings for third and fourth quarters of 2024. DRB identified recurring aggregate trends in IAD (Internal Affairs Division) casework and DPA casework. For IAD, the most frequent allegation categories were conduct unbecoming, neglect of duty and failure to appear at range; DPA’s trends included neglect of duty, unwarranted action and conduct unbecoming. Springer and DPA staff described a small number of policy-failure and training-failure findings and recommended targeted clarifications to existing department orders.

DRB recommendations included updating Department General Order 9.06 (vehicle tows) to align current practice and the expired 2018 bulletin’s provisions (including hold-harmless procedures) and clarifying DGO 5.04 to reduce ambiguity when officers independently investigate incidents and determine there is no probable cause to arrest. Commissioners and staff noted that one recommendation (a department notice on “swatting” incidents) was issued in February as a Department Notice.

Firearms Discharge Review Board and In-Custody Deaths

The Firearms Discharge Review Board reported two officer-involved incidents and two in-custody death reviews in the fourth quarter of 2024.

- Officer-involved shooting (OIS): One incident involved officers detaining a suspect who produced what officers believed to be a handgun; body-worn camera activation was delayed by the officers and this was marked for clarification. Prosecutors did not pursue criminal charges in that case.

- Off-duty accidental discharge: One SFPD member discharged a personal firearm at home while performing a function check; the discharge struck the ceiling and there were no injuries. Range testing did not identify a mechanical defect in the firearm.

- In-custody death (Treasure Island, March 16, 2022): A subject taken into custody after an altercation later suffered cardiac arrest; toxicology and the medical examiner’s review produced a complex cause finding. The district attorney administratively closed its review and the OCME listed mixed factors; the board’s recommendation to the chief found officer actions in policy.

- In-custody death (Park Station, Oct. 4, 2022): An arrestee initially treated at a hospital and later held at Park Station was discovered unresponsive during a routine check; the OCME determined the cause was mixed drug toxicity and mannered an accident. The board recommended the incident was in policy.

Why it matters: The updates provide transparency on oversight caseloads and discipline trends that affect departmental training, policy revisions and community trust. Commissioners requested further detail on what specific behaviors are being categorized under “conduct unbecoming” and “neglect of duty” and asked staff to provide those breakdowns in a future packet or consent item.

Next steps: DRB and DPA will provide follow-up materials clarifying the composition of high-frequency allegation categories and will track the concurrence progress for DGO 9.06 revisions.