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Committee backs converting OCC into Department of Police Accountability and adds auditing requirements
Summary
Supervisor Malia Cohen’s charter amendment would rename the Office of Citizen Complaints the Department of Police Accountability, give it direct budget authority and require performance audits every two years; the Rules Committee approved sending the measure to the full board with a strong recommendation after a Controller memo said fiscal impacts would be minimal.
Supervisor Malia Cohen presented a second draft of a charter amendment to reconstitute the Office of Citizen Complaints as a Department of Police Accountability with independent budget authority and a requirement to conduct a performance audit every two years of how the police department has handled claims of officer misconduct and use of force. Cohen said the change would strengthen independence and transparency following voter‑backed measures and recent high‑profile shootings.
The Controller’s office (Natasha Michal) told the committee the latest draft would have a minimal fiscal impact because the baseline budget provision had been removed. Public comment was limited and the committee voted to send the amendment to the full Board with an elevated recommendation for action.
Next steps: the measure will go to the full Board for consideration; if approved by the board it would appear to voters as a charter amendment per the board’s calendaring process.
