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OCC reports no DGO 8.1 violations in 2015; public raises JTTF oversight concerns
Summary
Office of Citizen Complaints presented its 2015 First Amendment compliance audit of Department General Order 8.1 and found no violations; public commenters and attorneys questioned whether certain Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) activities were being captured by the audit or kept "off the books."
Director Joyce Hicks told the Police Commission that the OCCs audit of Department General Order 8.1 for 2015 found no authorized investigations under that order, no undercover officers or infiltrators documented for the year, no records of unlawful activities within the orders scope, and no audit recommendations.
Hicks said auditors reviewed material required by the order, including logs, requests for intrusive techniques and ASSIST agency-assist forms. The OCC recorded nine public requests about Stingray technology and six outside-law-enforcement requests for assistance (five granted, one denied), and the audit found no violations during 2015.
Several speakers during public comment disputed the audits comprehensiveness. John Crew, who said he is assisting multiple civil-rights groups, argued SFPD officers who participate in FBI JTTF interviews often collect First Amendment information and that such activities may not have been processed under the departments 8.1 authorization procedures. "They're being kept quite literally off the books, off the 8.1 book in particular, beyond the reach of this commission and the OCC oversight," Crew said.
Director Hicks responded that the OCCs audit examined the records required under DGO 8.1 and that no violations were found in the sample and records the OCC reviewed. She said OCC auditors and staff are available to answer further questions and will follow up on requests from the commission to review specific issues.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about whether the OCC could review SARs (Suspicious Activity Reports) and other records; Hicks said she would look into the feasibility of including SARs in future OCC reviews.
The exchange underscored a tension between the OCCs formal audit findings and community suspicion that some intelligence-sharing or JTTF-related activity is not being captured in the record required by DGO 8.1. The commission did not take an immediate vote on additional audit steps but heard public requests to deepen oversight and transparency.
