Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee advances stronger civilian oversight language to create Department of Police Accountability
Summary
Supervisor Cohen proposed renaming the Office of Citizens Complaints to the Department of Police Accountability, moving it out of the police budget, granting auditing authority and improving public tracking of complaints. Community groups and youth interns supported more transparency; the committee accepted amendments and continued the item for a July 6 reading.
Supervisor Malia Cohen presented a charter amendment on June 30 to strengthen civilian oversight of the San Francisco Police Department by renaming the Office of Citizen Complaints to the Department of Police Accountability, placing it outside SFPD’s budget structure and granting regular auditing authority over use‑of‑force and misconduct practices.
Joyce Hicks, OCC executive director, said the measure would clarify the office’s purpose to the public, expand access to records allowable under state law, and fill a long‑standing gap: the OCC can investigate individual claims but currently lacks clear authority to audit department compliance with policy. “The charter amendments strengthen the OCC by clarifying and reinforcing our current role...improving our access to the information we need... and mandating periodic audits of officers' use of force,” she testified.
Youth interns and civil‑justice groups urged stronger transparency and claim tracking so complainants can see a case’s status. Supervisor Cohen introduced three technical amendments to remove a baseline set‑aside provision, maximize public access to police information allowed by law, and require online tracking of complaint status. The committee adopted the amendments and continued the item to July 6 for final revisions.
