Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OCC cites fewer sustained complaints; public speakers press for accountability in Mission station cases
Summary
The Office of Citizen Complaints reported a slight decline in complaints and sustained findings for January-February 2015; public commenters at the meeting accused specific officers and alleged misconduct in the Mission Station, and commissioners asked the chief to present department data and discuss steps to improve transparency and data analysis.
Joyce Hicks, director of the Office of Citizen Complaints, briefed the Police Commission on OCC activity and related national guidance from the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Hicks highlighted the task force's interim report and its six pillars, and emphasized Recommendation 2.8, which supports civilian oversight as a means to strengthen public trust. "Recommendation 2.8 provides that some form of civilian oversight of law enforcement is important in order to strengthen trust with the community," Hicks said.
OCC statistics and discipline Hicks told the Commission that as of February 28 the OCC had received 116 complaints in the year to date, compared with 125 at the same point last year. The OCC sustained three complaints in January (versus six the prior year) and mediated nine cases (compared with 12 the previous year). Hicks described retraining and admonishment as the primary dispositions in sustained matters; she also noted one instance where OCC sustained a finding but the chief disagreed with the sustained finding.
Public comment and allegations During public comment, Tom Selhurst alleged long-standing corruption in the Castro and criticized the promotion of an officer named Chuck Limbert, asserting the promotion followed earlier wrongdoing; Selhurst also raised concerns about undercover operations at Mission Station. Paulette Brown described her son's 2006 murder as an unsolved cold case, named individuals she said were listed on the case file and asked the Commission to pursue justice; the chief and commissioners directed callers to the anonymous tip line and acknowledged the $250,000 reward on that case.
What commissioners asked for Commissioners asked the chief to prepare a briefing on the department's data collection and proposed a committee or a cross-agency effort to identify what data are being captured, how it is analyzed, and what additional data should be collected to assess disproportionate impacts. The chief agreed to return with a presentation on data collection and storage practices.
Ending The OCC report, task-force context, and public comments prompted the Commission to emphasize better data and transparency as complements to civilian oversight; commissioners requested additional departmental data at a future meeting.
