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POST reports 43,000 misconduct reports since retroactive filing; staff outlines backlog, triage and training plans
Summary
POST staff told the advisory board that since retroactive reporting began the agency has taken in nearly 43,000 agency misconduct reports, that reporting has stabilized at roughly 2,500 per quarter, and that POST is improving triage, training and outreach to oversight bodies to close a prior backlog.
POST staff presented an annual data briefing Wednesday that quantified agency reporting, public complaints and the division’s triage practices and backlog reduction.
Assistant Executive Director Anne Marie Delmugato introduced Bureau Chief Brian South and Bureau Chief Sarah Wallace, who told the Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board that nearly 43,000 agency misconduct reports have been submitted to POST since retroactive reporting began and that, after an initial spike, the system is now averaging about 2,500 reports per quarter. Sarah Wallace said POST is also seeing a sustained increase in public complaints and that her intake bureau currently has hundreds of complaints in various stages of review.
The report described how agencies send initial reports and later provide supplemental updates—POST has received tens of thousands of supplementals chiefly to update case status and provide evidence such as body‑worn camera footage. POST said the average time to final disposition from receipt of agency findings has been about 255 days, although that can be tolled for ongoing criminal proceedings. Staff said about 88 percent of reports have been closed and roughly 9 percent remain open with POST; many closed matters were categorized as unfounded, not sustained or exonerated.
Why it matters: POST officials said the shift from an early abbreviated review of the large retroactive corpus to a full audit and prioritized triage has reduced the backlog and allowed staff to focus on sustained findings and higher‑risk cases. Staff emphasized training and outreach—both to law enforcement agencies that must report and to community oversight bodies that can submit findings or file complaints. Delmugato said POST will expand data collection to better flag complaint sources, including oversight boards.
What the board pressed on: Members asked how POST assesses constitutional or civil‑rights concerns raised by members of the public when agencies do not characterize reported conduct as serious misconduct. Staff said POST’s independent review checks whether allegations fall within the nine statutory categories of serious misconduct and that the division will request additional information when an agency’s conclusion appears insufficient. Board members also pressed about nonreporting agencies; staff said 60 letters were sent to suspected nonreporters and about 15 agencies have not responded, most of which are very small (fewer than 10 officers); the commission will consider recourse for noncompliance in March.
Next steps: POST said it will add oversight‑board source as a structured data field, continue community and agency training on SB 2 obligations, and return with deeper analysis of agency response times.
