Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Controller—s audit faults OCC for delays, weak case management; director says he will step down
Summary
A City Controller audit says weakness in case management, uneven supervision and high caseloads caused the Office of Citizen Complaints to miss timelines. The OCC director, who has tendered his resignation, and commissioners pledged follow-up; the report includes 45 recommendations.
The San Francisco City Controller—s office released a performance audit of the Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC) that found widespread delays, uneven case management and organizational shortcomings that undercut the OCC—s mission to hold officers accountable.
The audit, delivered to the Police Commission at its meeting, reported that 53 percent of sustained cases reviewed took longer than the OCC—s nine-month guideline to close. Auditors said extended periods of inactivity —locks of 30 days or more—ccounted for a large share of the delay and that casework often lacked explanatory notes. The report includes 45 recommendations covering case tracking, staffing, supervisory review, outreach and written policies.
"By and large, there are good people there doing good work," City Controller Ed Harrington told commissioners, but he urged the commission and OCC leadership to act on the recommendations. Auditors said OCC investigator caseloads averaged about 32 active cases apiece, roughly double the comparison jurisdictions— average of 16; the OCC currently has hundreds of pending cases, and auditors estimated that meeting peer averages would require about 22 investigators.
The audit found multiple causes of delay: long inactive stretches in case files, variation in investigators— effort contacting complainants and witnesses, internal OCC procedural delays and, in some cases, SFPD-related delays tied to document requests. Auditors noted a small but consequential set of cases in which document-request disputes were not escalated to the commission, and they flagged potential losses to the statute of limitations when investigations extended past legal windows.
Auditors recommended that the OCC develop an aging report for open investigations, standardize expectations for contacting complainants and witnesses, strengthen performance appraisals and training, and improve outreach so communities know the OCC exists and how to file complaints. The report was posted online and the controller—s office said it would provide copies on request.
Director Kevin Allen, who said he had earlier tendered his resignation, told the commission he accepted responsibility for the agency—s deficiencies and pledged to work with the commission and controller—s staff to implement the recommendations. "I tendered a resignation over a month ago," Allen said, "but I stayed here to complete that process, to listen, to hear the opinions, to hear the comments, and to show the commitment that I still stayed here to hear this." He said the OCC concurred or partially concurred with all recommendations.
Commissioners and public speakers pressed for quick follow-up. Several commissioners asked the city attorney to review specific misconduct allegations disclosed in the auditors— staff survey; the commission agreed to request that review. Community advocates and the ACLU urged faster investigations of recent in-custody deaths and broader reforms to restore public trust.
The commission scheduled deeper review of the audit and its recommendations at a future meeting (a commission discussion was set for early February). The controller—s office said auditors would return for a fuller conversation when commissioners and staff had time to digest the full report.
What happens next: The commission will continue the matter at a follow-up meeting and said it will consider the report—s staffing and procedural recommendations when setting the OCC—s budget and when selecting an interim director to lead the office.
