OIG Newsletter #4/June/2024

Dear San Francisco,
Happy Juneteenth and Pride! These celebrations of freedom and acceptance serve as reminders of the progress we have made, as well as the work that still needs to be done, especially for marginalized and disenfranchised communities.

Supervisor Walton and the voters established the Office of the Inspector General to support, serve, and give a voice to a population often overlooked by society - the incarcerated and their families. This month, the Board of Supervisors will be considering the budgetary needs of San Francisco departments. Please join me in advocating for resources and funding for this new department by letting your local leaders know the importance
of this work to you.

Thank you for your continued support!

Since assuming office in January, I have been evaluating all the challenges the San Francisco Sheriff's Office faces to prioritize my efforts and deliver the most impactful positive change for the affected communities and stakeholders given limited funding and resources. I'm pleased to find from the inmates and the available data that
the Sheriff's Office is headed in the right direction with crisis intervention training, utilizing de-escalation techniques, and minimizing the use of force on inmates. However, a much more pressing issue affecting the health, safety, and welfare of the inmates, jail staff, and visitors has reached a critical point due to the confluence of a rapidly increased inmate population with more mental health and addiction support needs and jail staffing
levels that have steadily decreased over the past several years.

I recently visited CJ 3 in San Bruno and will be visiting the San Francisco facilities soon to ensure we hear from the inmates and staff most affected. The Board of Supervisors held a special hearing about the issues confronting the jails which led to recent jail lockdowns and asked for my input. These lockdowns profoundly affect the daily lives of inmates, family members and loved ones who travel to visit them, their access to services
and programming, and their ability to meet with their attorneys. The long-standing reliance on mandatory overtime is taking a major toll on the mental and physical health of jail deputies and staff members. The details of the hearing are summarized below.

On May 14th, Supervisor Shamann Walton and Board President Aaron Peskin called for a special hearing before the full board of supervisors to understand the causes of the recent county jail lockdowns and their impacts on the staff, inmates, and families. The supervisors requested the Sheriff's Office, the Deputy Sheriff's Association, the Inspector General, and the Public Defender's Office to report on the issue and propose solutions to the problems.

After considering the challenges and perspectives of those affected by the lockdowns, I presented my preliminary recommendations to the board at the hearing. I will continue collaborating with the Sheriff, his staff, the Deputy Sheriff's Association, inmates, affected family members, service providers, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions to this crisis.

Link to the 3-hour hearing:
BOS Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting (granicus.com)

In mid-May, the Department of Police Accountability (DPA) hosted the California Civilian Oversight Alliance Conference (CCOA) in San Francisco. I was honored to join the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) president, Anthony Finnell, and the Berkeley Director of Police Accountability, Hansel Aguilar, in a panel moderated by Human Rights Commission Dream Keeper Initiative Director, Dr. Saidah Leatutufu-Burch, to discuss the role of Racial Equity in the field of law enforcement oversight.

This was a great opportunity to meet and connect with state and national civilian law enforcement oversight leadership. We shared our ideas for advancing important values and strengthened our network to extend the influence of this field.

I want to especially thank our Sheriff's Department Oversight Board President, Julie Soo, and Board Member William Palmer for attending and engaging in this important conversation.

To keep you informed about our ongoing activities and projects, below is a preview of what to expect in the next few months.

• Regular visits to the County Jails to hear input from the inmates and staff about the jail conditions. We will be alternating between the jail facilities in San Francisco and San Bruno.
   
• Regular town hall meetings to inform the community about the role of the OIG and available services and to engage the community in a dialog about where to prioritize our efforts.
   
• Using this newsletter to amplify the voices of the most impacted community members by creating a section for community perspectives and opinions. We want to thank Board Member Ovava Afuhaamango for assisting with this effort.

In 2020, San Francisco voters passed Supervisor Walton's Proposition D, which resulted in the formation of the Sheriff's Department Oversight Board and the Office of the Inspector General. The primary function of these entities is to provide independent oversight for the Sheriff's Office. On December 20, 2023, the board appointed Inspector General Wiley, who officially assumed his role on January 8, 2024.

We appreciate your patience and support as Inspector General Wiley builds the Office of the Inspector General to become operational. While the Inspector General seeks funds through the budget process to serve the people of San Francisco and deliver on the promise of Proposition D, the Department of Police Accountability will continue
to provide independent investigations into complaints of serious misconduct against San Francisco Sheriff deputies and in-custody deaths pursuant to existing agreements.

Please stay tuned for updates about the transition of this work.