Sheriff's Department Oversight Board 2023 Q3 Report

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San Francisco Sheriff's Department Oversight Board Quarterly Report (July 1, 2023 - September 30, 2023) to the Sheriff and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors

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Introduction

Charter Section 4.137 (b) (5) mandates that the Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (SDOB) “Prepare and submit a quarterly report to the Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors regarding the SDOB evaluations and outreach, and OIG (Office of Inspector General) reports submitted to the SDOB.”

Charter Section 4.137 also mandates SDOB:
(2) Evaluate the work of OIG and may review the Inspector General’s individual work performance.
(3) Compile, evaluate, and recommend law enforcement custodial and patrol best practices.
(4) Conduct community outreach and receive community input regarding SFSD operations and jail conditions, by holding public meetings and soliciting input from persons incarcerated in the City and County.

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Evaluations of OIG during Q3 2023

An Inspector General has not yet been appointed and OIG has not yet been established. Therefore, SDOB did no evaluations of OIG or of the Inspector General’s work performance during the third quarter of 2023.

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Evaluations of law enforcement custodial and patrol best practices during Q3 2023

SDOB did not undertake any evaluations of law enforcement custodial or patrol best practices during Q3 2023.

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SDOB community outreach

All members of the Board were invited to National Night Out events. Members Afuhaamango, Nguyen, Palmer, and Soo attended National Night Out in Chinatown in September.

Members Carrion and Soo attended the 2023 Police-Fire Mass later that week.

Members Palmer and Wechter visited San Francisco Sheriff’s Office County Jail #3 in September to take notes and receive information from inmates on SFSO jail conditions to be addressed and desired qualifications in an Inspector General.

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OIG reports submitted to SDOB Q3 2023

OIG has not yet been established and therefore did not submit any reports to the SDOB during Q3 2023.

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Other

The Board took summer recess and did not hold a meeting in August.
SDOB received information in July by presentation from the Sheriff’s Office IT Director on current operations and needed systems and integration to bring the Sheriff’s Office and future Office of the Inspector General (OIG) into real time reporting and public access to information.

SDOB received information in September by presentation from the Department of Police Accountability on the types of complaints it has handled regarding Sheriff’s personnel under the MOU between DPA and the Sheriff’s Office. DPA has also worked on creating an IT infrastructure for OIG to receive complaints specifically related to the Sheriff’s Office and physical office space. This information and advance work were crucial, especially considering the Mayor’s mid-year directive for City Departments to trim budgets by 3 percent.

SDOB elections were held in September pursuant to its bylaws. Julie D. Soo was elected as president and Xochitl Carrion was re-elected as vice president.

SDOB has continued to work with DHR and the City Attorney’s Office on IG interviews. SDOB has narrowed the pool of candidates to interview through a supplemental written questionnaire and oral interview process.

As reported in our Q2 report, the Department of Human Resources issued the job announcement for the position of Inspector General on March 27, 2023. The application period closed on June 24, 2023.

SDOB and DHR updated the following desired timeline and benchmarks for hiring the Inspector General:
October - Inspector General Candidate Interviews
November - Selection of Inspector General and Offer
December / January 2024 -Announcement and Onboarding of Inspector General; Community Town Hall

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