Committee backs charter amendment to create Sheriff's Department oversight board and inspector general

The Rules Committee voted July 13 to recommend a charter amendment that would create a Sheriff's Department Oversight Board and an Office of Inspector General to evaluate the sheriff's operations, investigate complaints of noncriminal misconduct by department employees and contractors, investigate in-custody deaths and serious assaults, and recommend policy changes (including use-of-force and internal review processes). The measure was placed for recommendation to the full Board with the expectation it would appear on the November 3, 2020 ballot.

Sponsor Supervisor Walton described the seven-member oversight body and its responsibilities, including training on custodial law and constitutional policing, community outreach and quarterly reports covering numbers and outcomes of complaints. Walton cited comparable oversight models in other counties and said independent review is needed because of deaths, assaults and litigation payouts related to jail operations.

Public comment included both praise for additional oversight and calls to ensure collaborative work with the Office of the Sheriff and the mayor's office. The committee voted without objection to forward the charter amendment to the Board as a committee report.