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Interim DPA director reports improved backlog and outlines Prop G audit and website upgrades
Summary
Interim DPA Director Paul Henderson reported the department closed older "33/4" cases, noted 39 new cases in August and 361 open cases overall, and said he is preparing Prop G audit work and a website overhaul to let the public track complaints online.
Paul Henderson, interim director of the Department of Police Accountability, told commissioners on Oct. 11 that his office is making progress on case management, technology and Prop G-related auditing.
Henderson said the DPA received 39 new cases in August, currently has 361 open cases and closed 83 cases in August. He reported that about 56 cases were referred that are outside DPA jurisdiction and discussed steps to refer those matters to the proper agencies. "We received 39 new cases in August," Henderson said, adding "right now we have opened 361 cases as our caseload."
A priority for the interim director has been addressing aged cases. Henderson said that when he arrived the DPAs caseload included cases going back to 2011 and 2012; staff have since reduced the number of long-outstanding cases such that the oldest remaining cases are five from 2015 and the department had reached zero for the "33/4" category (cases beyond the one-year tolling window) as of that day.
Henderson said he is rebuilding the DPA website to provide a public-facing case-tracking function and said Department of Technology estimates for the work exceeded $150,000. "It's a pretty big expense with the city to do the website," he said, noting the goal is for people to track complaint status without needing an in-person visit.
He also said DPA staff participated in the street violence response team (SVRT) and that he is coordinating Prop G audit work (the ballot measure requiring certain audits) with the police department and the Controllers Office. "Prop G is the initiative that was on the ballot last year, requiring audit from the DPA with the police department about uses of force and of discipline," Henderson said; he said a fuller report on Prop G-related structure and approach would be provided in the next week or two.
Commissioners asked for clarifications on case counts and the presentation of report tables; Henderson said he would provide a written summary in the next week with more precise counts and notes about older cases and tolling exceptions.
The commission accepted the update as informational; Henderson will return with a more complete Prop G implementation plan and website timeline.
