Title:
Title
Creation of an Inspector General Position
End
FileID
File ID: 2020-00793
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Pass a Motion authorizing the Office of Public Safety Accountability Director, the City Attorney, and the City Manager to implement City Council direction by creating an Inspector General position in the Office of Public Safety Accountability with full independence and authority to investigate officer-involved shootings and use-of-force incidents that result in serious bodily injury or death.
FileName
Contact: Kelly Fong Rivas, Chief of Staff, (916) 808-5300, Office of Mayor Darrell Steinberg
Body
Presenter: Mayor Darrell Steinberg, (916) 808-5300, Office of Mayor Darrell Steinberg
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Ordinance 2016-0054 (Relating to the Office of Public Safety Accountability)
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: In 1999, the Mayor and Sacramento City Council established the Office of Police Accountability for the purpose of monitoring the investigation of community complaints. In July 2004, the City Manager, with City Council approval, increased the Office’s responsibilities to include the Sacramento Fire Department. The Office was renamed the Office of Public Safety Accountability (OPSA). In November 2016, City Council approved an ordinance which provided greater community input and participation by sun-setting the Sacramento Community Police Commission and replacing it with the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission (SCPRC), with staff support provided by OPSA. The ordinance also expanded the role and authority of OPSA by increasing the office’s budget to hire additional staff. Further, the reporting chain was changed so that OPSA is under the direction, control and supervision of the Mayor and City Council, rather than the City Manager. The provisions of the ordinance went into effect in 2017 and resulted in the OPSA’s growth from an office of one FTE to an office of four FTEs.
OPSA’s charter is to provide civilian oversight to the City’s Police Department and Fire Department complaint process and become a liaison between the City and its diverse communities. The goals of OPSA are to promote trust, transparency and accountability in the City’s most critical public service departments.
OPSA has broad oversight authority to evaluate the overall quality of employee performance and the authority to encourage systemic change. The Office specifically tracks and monitors high profile or serious complaint cases to conclusion, reviews completed investigations, and advises the Chiefs of both Public Safety Departments of any deficient investigations. This oversight helps ensure transparency, accountability, and serves to enhance the public’s trust.
OPSA however does not have an independent Inspector General position nor the ability to make public its findings on whether department policies were violated and whether officers should be disciplined or terminated. By creating this position and the ability to publicly present its findings to the City Council, public, and the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission (SCPRC) before the City Manager makes a final determination on officer discipline or termination will increase transparency and accountability. Also, empowering the SCPRC to take the Inspector General’s findings to make their own public recommendation on officer discipline or termination will add additional layers of increased transparency and accountability.
Policy Considerations: The recommendations in this report are consistent with the City’s commitment to identify opportunities for improved transparency and accountability of the police department to build public trust.
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Environmental Considerations: The proposed action is an organizational activity that is exempt from environmental review under the CEQA Guidelines section 15387(b)(5).
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: The recommendations of this report reflect a blending of best practices from other cities and feedback from the community to expand the oversight ability of the Office of Public Safety Accountability to increase transparency and accountability of the police department in order to build community trust. The proposed model increases transparency and accountability by making public the independent review findings of the Inspector General before the City Manager makes a final determination on officer discipline or termination.
Additional transparency and accountability can be added by empowering the Sacramento Community Police Review commission to take the Inspector General’s findings to make their own public recommendation on officer discipline or termination.
Financial Considerations: The creation of this new position shall utilize an existing vacant FTE Specialist position within OPSA. It is estimated the reclassification of this position to create the position of an Inspector General will not exceed the current funding allocated to OPSA for this vacant FTE Specialist position.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.