The San Diego Police Department has agreed to several recommendations made by the Commission on Police Practices aimed at improving the citizen complaint process.
The goal is to make the process governing complaints about officer performance more transparent, accessible and thorough, officials said Friday.
The commission also recommended changes to modernize the SDPD’s online complaint portal. The department said they accepted 11 out of the 14 recommended changes to reduce “access barriers” and to make it easier for the public to file and follow complaints.
“The complaint portal now supports multiple language translations and no longer limits the length of complaint narratives,” the commission said in a statement. “Complainants also receive confirmation emails with links to upload additional media and track their case status, while mobile usability issues and evidence-upload barriers have been resolved.”
The changes follow a Times of San Diego report in June that outlined longstanding issues with the complaint portal, some of which the department began to address weeks later.
The recommendations the SDPD has agreed to include:
- Limiting informal complaint resolution to less serious allegations
- Developing a standardized script for Internal Affairs investigators to explain options to complainants
- Providing complainants and the commission copies of memos when a complaint is classified as frivolous
- Notifying complainants and the commission in writing when complaints are classified as miscellaneous
- Making every effort to interview complainants
- Promptly securing and analyzing all evidence, including interviews and records, for investigations
- Conducting investigative interviews with open-ended, neutral questions and requiring Internal Affairs investigators to attend training on proper interview techniques
- Using interviews to clarify discrepancies and conduct credibility analyses of witness statements against other evidence;
- Prohibiting conflicts of interest by ensuring no officer investigates a case in which they have a personal, familial or professional connection
- Developing and monitoring timelines for completing investigations, with audits to ensure deadlines are met and corrective action taken, and
- Requiring investigators to confirm all allegations verbatim with complainants at the close of interviews.
The SDPD agreed to the latter confirmation step, but declined a separate systemic audit, citing “existing review layers.”
The commission said they remain interested in a complaint system that is more transparent, accountable and accessible to the public.
“We will continue advocating for stronger reforms and monitoring implementation to build lasting community trust,” the panel added.
