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OCC says backlog cleared, mediations rose; director warns budget cuts could slow investigations
Summary
OCC Director Joyce Hicks told the Police Commission that the Office of Citizen Complaints closed more cases than it opened in 2008, eliminated backlogs and expanded mediation — but she warned that layoffs and budget reductions threaten investigators and could slow future investigations.
The Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC) reported significant operational gains in 2008 but warned that budget reductions risk undoing progress.
Director Joyce Hicks presented OCC’s 2008 annual report, telling the Police Commission that OCC investigators investigated and made findings on 1,021 complaints and closed 1,095, eliminated older backlogs, and increased mediations and outreach. The OCC reported opening 201 cases year-to-date and closing 211; 382 cases remained pending at the time of the report. The OCC also recorded an average caseload near 24 cases per investigator in 2008 after earlier years when some investigators carried markedly higher loads.
Hicks credited hiring, new training and an expanded mediation program — which mediated 71 cases in the most recent period — for faster case resolution and improved community satisfaction. Mediation exit surveys cited high satisfaction among complainants and officers and showed substantial time savings: median open time for mediated cases was 67 days versus 162 median days for investigative cases.
Commissioners praised OCC improvements, cited continuing concerns about sustained-rate declines, and asked the director to analyze whether lower sustained rates reflect productivity constraints or improved officer conduct. Several commissioners urged OCC to continue gathering demographic data about complainants and to present comparisons of complaint rates with population demographics.
Hicks cautioned that mandatory budget reductions already eliminated three positions and warned that additional cuts — including potential elimination of an attorney who coordinates mediation and outreach — could slow case processing and reduce mediation capacity. The commission asked OCC to work with community groups and the department on ways to streamline complaint intake and to report back to the commission and the city controller on progress against audit recommendations.
