REPORT
OSIG 2024 Summary Report
(find printed version at the end of this content)
To: San Francisco Sheriff’s Oversight Board (SDOB)
From: Terry Wiley, Inspector General, San Francisco Office of the Inspector General
Re: OIG End of the Year Summary Report – 2024
Date: January 10, 2025
____________________________________________________________
Dear President Soo, Vice President Brookter, and Board Members,
This report provides a high-level overview of my first year as the inaugural San Francisco Inspector General. It summarizes the work of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to date. Our monthly newsletters report on the events and activities described herein in greater detail. For the benefit of the public, who may not have followed the office’s development, I’ve included a brief background on how we arrived at this point and our anticipated path forward.
Thank you for selecting and trusting me to lead this new department. Serving as your first Inspector General alongside such a dedicated and hardworking board has been a pleasure and an honor.
Sincerely,
![](https://media.api.sf.gov/images/TW_Signature_50_Vth8z7M.width-500.jpg)
BACKGROUND
Following a series of scandals, internally mishandled investigations (1) in the San Francisco jails, and costly lawsuits (2) over the past decade, it became evident that sheriffs in San Francisco and across California operated with little external oversight or accountability. In 2019, public concerns over self-investigations prompted then-Sheriff Vicki Hennessy to request the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA) to investigate serious misconduct allegations against sheriff deputies. (3)
Around the same time, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty sponsored California Assembly Bill 1185 (AB 1185), enabling counties to create independent sheriff oversight bodies. Locally, Supervisor Shamann Walton introduced Proposition D (Prop. D), establishing the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (SDOB) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Voters approved both AB 1185 and Prop. D in 2020.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, elected in 2020, reaffirmed the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office’s (SFSO) (4) commitment to independent oversight by expanding the DPA's investigatory authority over sheriff operations. (5)
San Francisco Charter Section 4.137, effective in 2020, formalized the roles of the SDOB and the OIG. Appointments to the SDOB occurred in late 2021 and early 2022, with the board convening for the first time in August 2022. Following a national search, the SDOB appointed Terry Wiley as San Francisco’s first Inspector General in December 2023. Wiley assumed office on January 7, 2024, marking the official launch of the OIG.
FUNCTIONS
San Francisco Charter Section 4.137 defines the OIG’s responsibilities, which include:
- INVESTIGATIONS: Conducting investigations into complaints against SFSO employees and contractors, investigating deaths in custody, and recommending disciplinary action for law or policy violations.
- POLICY DEVELOPMENT: Creating and recommending use-of-force policies and internal review procedures for critical incidents.
- MONITORING, AUDITING, AND REPORTING: Monitoring SFSO operations through audits and investigations to ensure compliance with laws and policies. Reporting findings to the Sheriff and the SDOB.
- HEARINGS: Issuing subpoenas, administering oaths, and gathering testimony as part of investigative and oversight efforts.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In its inaugural year, the OIG, with resources and personnel borrowed from the DPA, focused on creating a scalable foundational infrastructure for the new department to function effectively and grow. Key accomplishments include:
INFRASTRUCTURE
- WEBSITE: Launched a comprehensive site to inform the public, report data, and centralize available online resources. (6)
- SOCIAL MEDIA: Established accounts and presence on popular platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to engage community members and stakeholders. (7)
- OFFICE SPACE: Retrofitted a suite within the DPA into dedicated office space ready to host OIG staff when hired. This suite is outfitted with fully functional, ergonomic workstations (privacy walls, sit/stand desks, secure lockers, adjustable monitor arms, phones, dedicated data cables, etc.).
- CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS): Replicating the DPA’s CMS architecture and drawing upon the DPA’S technical experience and expertise, developed a secure, versatile, and customized OIG CMS on a Salesforce platform for a small fraction of what it would cost to build a comparable system from scratch. Successfully migrated historic data from DPA’s investigations about SFSO misconduct and improper conduct into the new CMS. The CMS will serve to manage and track the OIG’s work, analyze and report on the OIG’s data, and will be capable of interfacing with other systems through application programming interfaces.
- ONLINE COMPLAINT SYSTEM: Launched a user-friendly online complaint system dedicated to complaints against members of the SFSO with multilingual support (8) and data integration with the CMS. (9) The system removes language barriers and makes filing a complaint accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
- COMPLAINANT PORTAL: Provided complainants with a portal to track individual case progress through the investigatory phases. Accessible using a unique identification number the system provides to complainants.
- PAPERLESS OPERATIONS: Transitioning to a cloud-based file system for enhanced security and accessibility.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
- BRANDING: The OIG intentionally and consciously utilized a unified branding strategy to establish a consistent and professional image. The OIG designed graphics, letterheads, logos, seals, signature lines, publications, and public statements to build brand recognition for the new city department.
- MISSION: Established and publicized the OIG’s mission, values, and vision statements to ensure that the public understands what the OIG stands for and its commitment to the work.10
- NEWSLETTERS: Produced monthly newsletters to update the public and stakeholders on the OIG’s work, activities, and progress. This first year, the OIG will have issued ten newsletters journaling and reporting relevant notifications, events, and activities every month from March through December 2024.11
PROCESSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
- PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Inspector General Terry Wiley earned his professional certification, Certified Inspector General from the Association of Inspectors General, and attended key national conferences to lead and align the department with best practices.
- WORK PROCESSES: Digitized workflows from case intake to closure, ensuring consistency and credibility of the OIG’s work product through rigorous quality control and multiple review layers.
ENGAGEMENTS
The OIG is a service-oriented department that has prioritized transparency and public engagement, leveraging multiple platforms to inform and involve the community:
- SDOB MEETINGS: The IG regularly reported to the SDOB about the OIG’s monthly progress and activities. The OIG has specific quarterly reporting requirements about its investigations, investigative findings, and disciplinary recommendations as defined by the San Francisco Charter. However, the OIG does not have any investigative staff yet to perform the investigations. Instead, the DPA has presented quarterly reports to the SDOB about its investigations carried out under the authority and within the parameters of the agreement between the departments.
- TOWN HALLS: Hosted two well-attended public forums to discuss OIG initiatives and gather community feedback.
- SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS: Participated in panels and conferences related to incarceration and oversight, including events hosted by the Silicon Valley NAACP, the National Bar Association, the Association of Inspectors General (AIG), the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), and the California Civilian Oversight Alliance (CCOA).
- COMMUNITY EVENTS: Promoted OIG awareness at events such as the Lunar New Year Parade, Cherry Blossom Festival, San Francisco Police-Fire-Sheriff Memorial Mass, and National Night Out.
- JAIL INSPECTIONS: Conducted monthly visits to all San Francisco custodial facilities to inspect living conditions and maintain inmate contact.
- BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEARING: Addressed extended jail lockdown issues that significantly disrupted jail operations and services at a special meeting convened by the Board of Supervisors, President Peskin, and Supervisor Walton in May 2024.
- STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS: Regularly engaged with numerous key groups, including the Jail Justice Coalition, the Sheriff’s Jail Visiting Committee, the Latino Task Force, and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association to discuss issues and ideas for improving conditions for both inmates and deputies.
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The OIG, through DPA investigations, prior audits, stakeholder feedback, and an examination of the SFSO’s policies, operations, and systems has identified key areas for improvement in the SFSO, including:
- USE-OF-FORCE DOCUMENTATION
- TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
- STANDARDIZED DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES
- BODY-WORN CAMERA GUIDANCE
- VISITATION CAPACITY
- JAIL PROGRAMS AND TREATMENT
- DEATH-IN-CUSTODY NEXT OF KIN NOTIFICATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
- EARLY INTERVENTION SYSTEMS
- AUTHORITY TO INITIATE ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATIONS
- STAFFING SHORTAGES
The OIG has developed responsive recommendations that may be issued following review by the SDOB.
CHALLENGES
Budget constraints have significantly impeded the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) ability to become operational in its first year. The initial budget, projected three years ago, was already insufficient from the start because it failed to account for essential expenses such as administrative support, adequate office space, and critical staff positions, including a data analyst, technical support personnel, a receptionist, and an auditor. These omissions created an operational gap that will hinder the OIG’s ability to function independently.
Further, the former president of the Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (SDOB), who is no longer part of this board, exacerbated this budget problem by opposing the hiring of any staff during the crucial early stages of the department’s development. This decision left much of the allocated salary budget unspent—a missed opportunity with crippling consequences. Anyone with experience in government knows that unused budget funds are rarely untouched and are typically reallocated to other priorities. Predictably, the Mayor’s Office and the Board of Supervisors later cut the OIG’s original budget year after year during the economic downturn to where it is now around half of what was originally budgeted. These cuts left the office with just two positions: the Inspector General and the SDOB secretary despite the charter mandate, which explicitly requires the OIG to maintain “no fewer than one investigator for every one hundred sworn SFSD employees,” (12) or a minimum of seven investigators. Moreover, hiring staff before my appointment would not only have saved the budget, it would also have given us a head start on lengthy hiring processes for civil service positions that limit departmental hiring discretion anyway.
Adding to these challenges, the prohibition against hiring individuals “employed previously by a law enforcement agency” (13) is unnecessarily restrictive and counterproductive. This blanket prohibition arbitrarily disqualifies a deep pool of highly skilled and qualified candidates. Professionals with law enforcement experience often possess advanced investigative training, a deep understanding of law enforcement culture, familiarity with officers' rights, and insight into the tactics sometimes employed to evade accountability. Excluding such candidates does not serve the OIG’s mission of accountability and oversight. It only impairs the department’s ability to recruit top talent. Its overly broad nature may also raise legal concerns, potentially exposing the city to unnecessary challenges or liabilities.
Until the OIG achieves full staffing, it must rely on support from the Department of Police Accountability (DPA) and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) Internal Affairs Unit to fulfill some of its department obligations and charter-mandated responsibilities. (14)
THE FUTURE
The path forward demands strategic action: advocating for incremental budget increases as much as the current budget deficit will allow, revisiting hiring restrictions, and prioritizing onboarding skilled personnel. These steps are not just necessary—they are critical to ensuring the OIG can operate as an effective and independent watchdog for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, fostering the accountability that will build the trust the public deserves. With continued support from the DPA and phased hiring, the OIG would gradually assume full responsibility for investigations and oversight activities as it onboards staff to perform these duties.
Lastly, a few projects initiated and underway to be completed in 2025:
- PUBLIC DATA DASHBOARDS.
- MONTHLY PRIVATE VIDEO CONFERENCING SESSIONS WITH INMATES.
- STANDARDIZED DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES.
- CLOUD-BASED FILE SYSTEM.
- JAIL-WIDE DIGITAL SURVEY ON INMATES’ TABLETS.
_______________________________________________________
Footnotes:
(1) https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/S-F-jail-inmates-forced-to-fight-Adachi-says-6161221.php; https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/San-Francisco-sheriff-investigating-allegations-13615256.php
(2) https://missionlocal.org/2023/06/millions-law-enforcement-sfpd-sheriff-lawsuit-settlements/
(3) See DPA-SFSO 2019 Memorandum of Understanding
(4) Upon assuming office, Sheriff Miyamoto renamed the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department (SFSO) to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO).
(5) See DPA-SFSO 2020 and 2024 Letter of Agreement and DPA-SFSO MEUP 2023 Letter of Agreement.
(6) https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-sheriffs-inspector-general
(7) https://www.facebook.com/people/SF-Office-of-the-Inspector-General/61557962871099/
; https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FSF_OIG
(8) Powered by Google Translate allowing complainants to file complaints in over 200 languages.
(9) sfsda.my.salesforce-sites.com//apex/VisualAntidote__HostedFastForm?h=2VM99
(10) https://www.sf.gov/departments/office-inspector-general/about
(11) https://www.sf.gov/information/soig-monthly-newsletter
(12) See San Francisco Charter Section 4.137(h)
(13) See San Francisco Charter Section 4.137(h)
(14) The DPA only has the authority to investigate certain allegations of serious misconduct and death in-custody as defined by its LOA with the SFSO. The OIG’s jurisdiction as defined by the charter is far broader.