Audit Division

Regularly audits police officer use of force and how the police department handles claims of officer misconduct.

About

The Department of Police Accountability (DPA) reviews the police department’s performance. We audit 2 areas:

  1. The department’s use of force 
  2. How the department handles misconduct

Authority

San Francisco Charter (Section 4.136) mandates DPA to audit the San Francisco Police Department’s use of force and handling of police misconduct every 2 years.

The charter also gives us the authority to conduct performance audits and reviews. We check whether the SFPD has followed all laws, ordinances, and policies. DPA’s director decides the frequency, topics, and scope of the audits and reviews.

We use the following criteria to decide which audits we conduct:

  • Is the issue within DPA’s scope of authority?
  • Does DPA have the resources to undertake the issue?
  • Is the matter best addressed by an audit or some other type of review?

Independence

Our audits are independent and objective. We follow federal standards for audits. 

Read the Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS, also known as “Yellow Book”)

Contact

Department of Police Accountability

1 South Van Ness Ave 8th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103

Mon to Fri, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

View location on google maps

Phone

Request public records

Submit requests for the Audit Division.