OCC outlines 2013 outreach plan, reports DGO 8.1 audit found no violations

Director Joyce Hicks told the Police Commission that the Office of Citizen Complaints will continue a community‑focused outreach strategy in 2013, building on prior work in juvenile policing, language access and mental‑health response. Hicks summarized outreach and mediation activity in 2011–2012, noting the OCC mediated 61 cases in 2011 and 62 in 2012 and distributed informational materials in multiple languages.

Hicks reported on the OCC’s annual audit of Department General Order 8.1 (limiting investigative activity that may implicate First Amendment protected activity). The OCC found two investigations authorized pursuant to DGO 8.1 — one related to Occupy SF and one concerning black‑block activity — and said both appeared limited in scope and consistent with the order; no violations were identified. The OCC recommended clearer recordkeeping, including assigning unique numbers and dates to DGO 8.1 investigations and adding these details to the police commission log.

The director also presented OCC statistics: December 2012 saw 48 cases opened (down from 65 in December 2011); total cases opened in 2012 were ~740 versus 784 in 2011 (a reported ~6% decrease); pending cases stood at about 305. Hicks announced the OCC expects online complaint filing to go live by June 30 of the year.

Commissioners praised outreach work and requested additional comparative statistics about complaints and sustained findings to inform subcommittee discussions (in particular the taser subcommittee). The OCC agreed to provide follow‑up materials.