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OCC director warns staffing and vehicle cuts would hamstring citizen-complaint investigations
Summary
Office of Citizen Complaints Director Joyce Hicks told the Police Commission the OCC faces an $81,000 reduction that would require cutting one investigator, while the office's caseload remains high and two vehicles need replacement; the OCC also reported a 6% sustained-complaint rate for 2013.
Joyce Hicks, director of the Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC), told the Police Commission that the OCC remains a national model for civilian oversight but faces budgetary pressure that could reduce its capacity.
Hicks summarized outreach and mediation activity, noting the OCC mediated 59 cases in 2013 and sustained 43 complaints in calendar year 2013 (15 filed in 2013, 28 carried over from 2012). She said the 2013 First Amendment compliance audit of the Police Department (pursuant to Department General Order 8.1) identified no irregularities.
On the budget, Hicks said the mayor's two-year budget instructions require reductions that total about $81,000 for the OCC. Because the OCC's budget is personnel-heavy (about $5 million, roughly 90 percent personnel), Hicks said achieving the required reduction would likely mean eliminating one investigator-level position (reducing journey-level investigators to 16) unless alternate funding or an equipment replacement request is approved to cover car replacement costs.
Hicks said the OCC currently operates with a caseload per investigator that exceeds the controller's recommended level and that constraints have limited the office's ability to fill authorized investigator positions. She also noted that one OCC vehicle must be removed from service by month'end and another by next August; the OCC will request replacement vehicles as a general fund equipment item in the budget.
Commissioners expressed support for protecting OCC funding and promised to accompany Hicks to the Board of Supervisors to oppose the proposed cut. Hicks said complaint volumes were trending up in January compared with the prior January, driven in part by ticket-related complaints.
Ending: The commission pledged support for OCC budget requests and asked Hicks to deliver a detailed annual report in March that will list sustained case categories and other performance metrics.
