Sheriff's Department Oversight Board 2024 Annual Report

Calendar Year 2024 Annual Report

This past year was an industrious year for the Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board(SDOB). Our inaugural Inspector General, Mr. Terry Wiley, officially took his post in January, though he began preliminary work after his swearing-in ceremony in December. Mayor Willie L. Brown did the honors to a full house on the fourth floor of City Hall that included an overflow room.

In January, we again launched a timeline for the year with ambitious goals and benchmarks. With an Inspector General (IG) and increased input from the community, we worked with the Sheriff’s Office to make improvements to minimize shutdowns at the jail sites that unduly affect jail visits and disrupt programming for those who were not the cause of or near the site of incidents that precipitated a shutdown.

During its inaugural year, the newly formed Office of the Inspector General (OIG)—with only an IG in place and no dedicated staff—achieved impressive strides by leveraging personnel and resources borrowed from the Department of Police Accountability (DPA). IG Wiley focused on creating a scalable functional infrastructure for the new department to operate effectively and grow. Key accomplishments included building a website, establishing a social media presence, and retrofitting existing office space within DPA. Replicating and customizing DPA’s systems to the OIG’s needs, the OIG was able to launch a new case management system, an online complaint system, and a complainant portal for minimal cost. OIG began transitioning to a cloud-based system for enhanced security and accessibility. While OIG has its systems on track to be a data-driven, modern operation, the Sheriff’s Department, now known as the Sheriff’s Office, must receive funds to replace its antiquated technology to provide better reporting and to address complaints handled by the Sheriff’s Office.

Under a Letter of Agreement, the DPA has continued to handle certain categories of serious complaints. Notably, the DPA has earned praise from government reporting experts for its audits and consistently meeting statutory deadlines while overseeing investigations for both the Police Department and Sheriff’s Office. The Board had expected that following a transition period and contingent on securing adequate resources, funding, and staff, the Inspector General and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) would eventually assume all investigative responsibilities. However, funding beyond the IG position never materialized. Consequently, we lost an exemplary IG through resignation on January 10, 2025, as Mr. Wiley made the difficult decision to leave a job that he found rewarding to take a seat as judge on the Alameda County Superior Court bench.

Without adequate funding the City stands to be without an Inspector General for a protracted period of time. Moreover, the Board looks to the Mayor’s Office and the Board of Supervisors to provide a minimal budget to the Office of the Inspector General so that the next IG can begin staffing and move toward having a fully independent OIG as mandated by the City’s Charter. A budget freeze for all departments will particularly strain DPA, which has already provided extensive and essential administrative, operational, and investigative support to the IG and OIG.

The Board anticipates being able to begin a strategic review of Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures and again urges the City to provide funds for necessary upgrades to the Sheriff’s Office antiquated technology so that staff is less burdened by manual reporting and day-to-day scheduling. The Board must be able to use accurate data collection to look at risk management and to make policy recommendations on the use of force and custodial operations.

The Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Unit has deployed deputies in the field that include patrols as part of the special Tenderloin Task Force tackling the drug crisis on our streets with joint operations involving the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and the California National Guard. The Board continues to monitor the recruitment of sworn officers and working conditions. Staffing shortages mean longer hours for all personnel. Being in the field requires additional specialized training for deputies with greater safety precautions. More arrests have led to an increased jail population and the Sheriff’s Office has been preparing additional space in its San Bruno facilities in anticipation.

The Board will be reviewing timeliness and availability of health care needs of those incarcerated and additional programs to assist with mental health, addiction recovery, and reentry preparedness. San Francisco supports many services for those in custody and the Board will continue to look at ways to enhance programs toward successful re-entry. We will also be making specific recommendations to the Sheriff’s Office based on the comprehensive work in the last year of IG Wiley and DPA.

I want to thank my colleagues on the Board for advancing our work and bringing individual areas of expertise and community viewpoints. Member Ovava Afuhaamango invested additional time to design the Annual Report Summary and Highlights with a pictorial history. Special thanks to our Board Secretary Dan Leung who wore many hats during the year; the Department of Police Accountability for lending its expertise and resources; and, to the Sheriff and his staff for being open to oversight.

(View complete report attachment at the end of this report)

Summary

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board was established by amendment to the San Francisco City Charter, proposed by Supervisor Shamann Walton and passed by voters in the November 2020 General Election. Charter section 4.137, Sheriff’s Department Oversight, established the Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (SDOB) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Section 4.137 gives SDOB authority to:

• Appoint the Inspector General in the Sheriff’s Department Office of Inspector General.
• Evaluate the work of OIG and review the Inspector General’s individual work performance.
• Compile, evaluate, and recommend law enforcement custodial and patrol best practices.
• 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.
• Hold hearings, issue subpoenas to witnesses to appear and for the production of evidence, administer oaths, and take testimony.

Members:

SDOB consists of seven members, four appointed by the Board of Supervisors and three appointed by the Mayor. The appointments of the four Board of Supervisors appointees, Ovava Afuhaamango, Michael L. Nguyen, William Palmer, II, and Jayson Wechter, became effective January 13, 2022. The appointments of the three Mayoral appointees, Dion-Jay Brookter, Xochitl Carrion, and Julie D. Soo, became effective December 12, 2021.

Jayson Wechter submitted his resignation effective November 16, 2024, rendering seat #2 vacant pending reappointment by the Board of Supervisors.

Dan Leung serves as the SDOB Board Secretary.

Summary of monthly commission board meetings:

January

Undersheriff Katherine Johnson gave a presentation on operations, budget, staffing, and how complaints are handled, from intake to investigations, review by the Undersheriff, and any corrective or disciplinary action.

Alexandra Schulteis, Director of Mediation at the Department of Police Accountability (DPA), presented on the mediation process that DPA utilizes.

Nicole Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer at DPA, presented the budget for FY24 and FY25.

February

At the February meeting, SDOB welcomed Inspector General Terry Wiley who appeared and introduced himself to SDOB members and the public.

Cedric Akbar and other members of the re-entry community appeared and spoke on the challenges of re-entry and necessary services and support before and after re-entry. The Latino Task Force and other members of the Latino community expressed the need for in-language services for incarcerated Spanish-speakers.

SDOB discussed, reviewed, and approved SDOB 2023 reports for Q3 and Q4 and its Annual Report to the Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors.

SDOB discussed 2024 Priorities, Tasks, Timelines, and Benchmarks and possible amendments to SF Charter section 4.137 that established oversight of the Sheriff’s Office.

March

Inspector General Wiley gave a report on his activities and meetings since he onboarded in January. Much of his focus has been to advocate for funding to have an administrative assistant and ideally one or two investigators to phase in a fully staffed Office of Inspector General.

Angela Chan, Assistant Chief Attorney from the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, presented an overview of the SF Public Defender’s Office and the clients they serve, highlighting their experiences with jail conditions and client legal service visits.

San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) Chief Deputy Lisette Adams presented on SFSO’sCustody Division.

SDOB members had a robust discussion on amending SF Charter section 4.137. After a lengthy discussion, a motion on specific language amendments failed to garner the requisite majority of the seven (7) seats comprising the full board to adopt an action item. (To be noted, a majority of SDOB members present voted for the specific language amendments.)

Any further consideration of this item is on hold. The proposed action was time-sensitive for placement on the November 2024 ballot and possible timelines for a legislative sponsor would likely expire.

April

Inspector General Terry Wiley gave a report on Q1 reflecting his work as an individual. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) currently has not been issued a budget that allows for OIG staffing.

Member Michael Nguyen, a San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) Deputy, gave an overview of his training for and completion of Field Training Officer (FTO) certification. SFSO recruiting, career advancement, and staff retention is part of SDOB’s oversight.

SFSO Captain Jamala Sanford presented on recruitment, the academy process, ongoing training, and the junior deputy program. Chief John Ramirez presented on peer support, working conditions, deputy safety, and resources for the physical and mental well-being of SFSO employees.

Department of Police Accountability’s (DPA) Chief Attorney Marshall Khine presented on the importance of keeping separate administrative and criminal investigations and the safeguards to ensure that compelled statements and other evidence in an administrative investigation do not compromise a criminal investigation.

May

DPA Chief Attorney Marshall Khine answered Board member questions from the presentation given at the April meeting and presented 2024 Q1 DPA investigations of SFSO.

Steve Flaherty, Director of Audits for the Department of Police Accountability, presented on the audit process.

The Board reviewed, discussed, and approved the SDOB 2024 Q1 Report due to the Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors.

The Board also reviewed, discussed, and approved an amendment to the SDOB Rules of Order, in particular amending Rule 1.14 and creating Rule 1.14(a) and 1.14(b) pertaining to meeting agendas and coordinating Board member requests for information.

June

Inspector General Terry Wiley gave a monthly report on the status of the Office of the Inspector General budget, staffing, and the jail lockdowns.

Patrick Leung, Chief Financial Officer from the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, presented on SFSO budget and priorities. Long-delayed investment in Information Technology continues to hinder any kind of automated reporting by SFSO and exacerbates the current SFSO staffing shortage.

July

Members voted to cancel and not reschedule the July meeting due to travel schedules that would result in lack of quorum.

August

Our August meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum.

September

Priscilla Portillo and Maria Reynoso from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office gave an overview of victim services, including victim rights when serving victims of crime in
San Francisco.

Inspector General Terry Wiley gave a monthly report on the monthly activities that included Q2. Inspector General Wiley summarized holding a first Town Hall; preparing and presenting the FY 2024-2025 budget to the Board of Supervisors; visiting SFSO jail facilities and noting jail conditions, lockdowns, and challenges to visitation; and participating in community events, including National Night Out.

We took nominations and re-elected Julie D. Soo to be President for 2024-2025 and elected Dion-Jay “DJ” Brookter as Vice President for 2024-2025.

Marshall Khine, Chief Attorney for the Department of Police Accountability, presented on Sheriff’s Office investigations for Q2.

October

Rudy Corpuz, the founder and executive director of United Playaz, shared his experiences and the establishment of United Playaz, as well as its impact on the community. He brought along members of United Playaz who shared the impact Rudy, and the organization had on their lives.

Inspector General Terry Wiley gave a monthly report from the Office of the Inspector General including attending community events, jail visits, and community engagement.

The Board reviewed, discussed, voted, and approved the Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board’s 2024 Q2 & Q3 reports due to the Sheriff and the Board of Supervisors. pursuant to SF Charter 4.137(b)(5).

November

Amarik Singh, Inspector General of Independent Prison Oversight over the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, presented on the primary functions of her office, shared best practices for the role of the inspector general, offered insights on elements of oversight, and discussed the assessment of performance benchmarks for the board.

Inspector General Wiley gave a monthly report from the Office of the Inspector General including visiting the women’s facilities at County Jail #2, meeting with the Jail Visiting Committee and the Jail Justice Coalition and attending the annual conference of NACOLE.

Marshall Khine, Chief attorney at the Department of Police Accountability (DPA), gave a report on sheriff’s investigations conducted by DPA for the third quarter of 2024.

The Board also received notice after the news outlets reported that Member Jayson Wechter resigned from the SDOB.

December

Assemblymember Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, Sr., recently finishing a 12-year term representing the 57th California Assembly District, discussed his efforts as an assemblymember, as well as his individual contributions, to criminal justice reform and potential state funding for civilian oversight of law enforcement.

Inspector General Wiley gave a monthly report from the Office of the Inspector General, including the conference of Association of Inspector Generals, a visit to County Jail #3, and collaborative efforts with the Jail Justice Coalition. Regrettably, Inspector General Wiley also announced to the public that he would be resigning effective January 10, 2025, as Inspector General and outlined in detail the reasons in his resignation letter to the Board, most notably that OIG continued to be unfunded, and the City’s budget was not encouraging. Inspector General Wiley made great strides in establishing relationships with both the Sheriff’s Office and those affected by incarceration. He created an environment to facilitate resolving issues of concern with care and timeliness.

Looking ahead:

Moving ahead to a new year SDOB will need to again begin a nationwide search for an Inspector General. The actual task will be less arduous because SDOB had already established a job description and particular qualifications in its search for the inaugural Inspector General. However, without adequate funding the City stands to be without an Inspector General for a protracted period of time.

SDOB also anticipates being able to begin strategic review of SFSO’s policies and procedures and pushing to have necessary upgrades to SFSO’s antiquated technology so that staff is less burdened by manual reporting and day-to-day scheduling.

SDOB will be reviewing timeliness and availability of health care needs of those incarcerated and additional programs to assist with mental health and re-entry preparedness.

SDOB will also be making specific recommendations to the Sheriff’s Office based on the comprehensive work in the last year of Inspector General Terry Wiley and the Department of Police Accountability.

Board Member Biographies:

Dion Jay Brookter

Dion-Jay (“DJ”) Brookter is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Young Community Developers Inc. (YCD). YCD is a 501(c) (3) non-profit community-based organization that provides workforce development, education, and housing services to San Francisco’s underserved District 10 community residents. In 2023, YCD served over 2,000 customers and secured placement for more than 500 program participants across several industry sectors. Mr. Brookter holds a B.S. in Speech Communication (Utah State Univ.) and an MBA from the Univ. of Phoenix.

Xóchitl Carrión

Xochitl Carrion is a board member and previous two-year Vice President of the SDOB. She has significant experience over 16 years in three different areas of law - civil, criminal and corporate. Within these areas, Xochitl Carrion has extensive litigation and trial experience and a proven track record of success in the courtroom with approximately 30 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials and hearings. In late 2023, she opened her own law firm, Law Office of Xóchitl Carrión, with the practice areas of civil litigation, state and local government relations and community outreach, economic development and legal support for businesses with an emphasis on Minority-Owned Businesses, and real estate transactions.

Prior to opening her own law firm, Ms. Carrion was a Lead Attorney for ALTO where she developed legal solutions for corporate clients’ crime and public safety concerns. She proactively expanded and strengthened law enforcement, prosecution and community relationships and partnerships to address retail crimes efficiently and effectively. Prior to joining ALTO, Ms. Carrion served as an Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney's office, where she investigated and prosecuted misdemeanors, juvenile crimes, domestic violence, police and sheriff misconduct/shootings, hate crimes, and violent and serious felonies, including retail thefts. She also has significant civil attorney experience. Specifically, for 7+ years at Goldfarb & Lipman, LLP, Ms. Carrion represented affordable housing developers and funders, government agencies, non-profit and community-based organizations, and private real estate clients in transactional and litigation matters.

Ms. Carrion is a long-time champion for justice. She has served in 30+ leadership positions in civic and community-based organizations/entities, non-profits, and foundations. For example, she currently serves as the Chair of the California Law Revision Commission (CLRC), to which she was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022, and was first appointed to CRLC by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. in 2011. During her first term, she was elected as chair in 2012-2013, and as vice-chair in 2011-2012. Currently, Ms. Carrion is also a board member and previous two-year President of the California La Raza Lawyers Association.

Ms. Carrion is committed to empowering herself and others with knowledge. She is a graduate from UC College of the Law with a CALI Award for Excellence in State and Local Government Law and UCLA with a double major of Chicana/o Studies/Women's Studies (highest honors) with a minor in LGBT Studies and specialization in Labor and the Workplace. Furthermore, Ms. Carrion has provided hundreds of training courses and presentations throughout her educational and professional career, and is eager to further train fellow attorneys, government officials/staff, corporate clients, and diverse communities.

Ms. Carrion resides in the Tenderloin/Lower Polk, a vibrant diverse community, and cherishes her VERY queer households (yes, multiple) as a single mom by choice with her wife, son’s father, two children, two senior dogs and numerous chosen family members.

Michael Nguyen

Michael Nguyen is an accomplished public safety professional with over eight years of experience in law enforcement. Currently serving as a Deputy with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, he has dedicated his career to ensuring public safety and supporting his community through various assignments and specialized roles. Michael briefly worked with Gavin de Becker and Associates in 2013, where he enhanced his skills in protection services. He served as a Public Safety Officer at the University of the Pacific Sacramento Campus from 2015 to 2016, contributing to campus safety and upholding public safety protocols. Since 2016, Michael has been with the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, taking on responsibilities in Patrol, County Jail #2 and #3, with concurrent roles in the Emergency Services Unit (ESU), Community Engagement Team, and as a member of the Sheriff’s Oversight Board. Additionally, he is the former Treasurer for the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, where he managed over $3 million in assets.

Michael is currently an ESU Team Member, providing specialized support in natural disasters, crowd control, high-risk transport, and operations. He has been serving as a Sheriff’s Oversight Board Member (Seat #4) since 2018, contributing to policy and procedural oversight. His educational background includes associate’s degrees in social behavioral sciences from Skyline College and Administration of Justice from Contra Costa College. His extensive training includes POST Basic and Intermediate Certificates, Basic and Advanced Firearms Training, Defensive Tactics, Baton/Impact Weapons, Driver Awareness updates, and handling of Chemical Agents and Electronic Weapons. Additionally, he completed the Essential Skills Protection Academy at Gavin de Becker and Associates and received Chaplain Certification with critical incident stress debriefing training. Michael successfully passed his Field Training Officer (FTO) program, completing 664 hours of evaluation. He is skilled in courtroom testimony, bias-based policing, and collaborative community engagement. With a robust background in protective services, behavioral threat assessment, and strategic communication, Michael remains committed to public safety and is open to new opportunities.

William Palmer

In March of 2019, William “Tariq” Palmer was released from CSP-Solano after serving 31 years and 22 days from the age of 17 to 48 years old. The California Supreme Court ruled that 23 years of his confinement was constitutional excessive punishment. Instead of being mad at the world, William came out with an ethic of Love that emboldened him to live a life of purpose. He immediately assumed the position as a leader by advocating for social reforms, prison and parole transformational justice and mentoring youth both in the community. He filled his dream of going to college by attending the PACE program at the University of San Francisco.

Requests began to pour in for William to share his story of becoming a self-advocate for his freedom. His landmark case, still being used by attorneys, opened the door for 1,200 youth offenders (The American parole system is an endless trap — and a moral outrage - The Washington Post). With major journals, law enforcement, and teen groups, William’s unique style of tough love inspires all who listen to his journey of resilience. Dealing with his own challenges with reentry, his housing at GEO was like jail: and his parole officer arrested him for the appearance of violating his myriad of conditions, feeling that he “cheated his way out.”

William Palmer was appointed to the San Francisco Reentry Council on the Sentencing Commission. He decided in 2021 that it was time to bring to life his system-impacted organization, Life After Next, to create the flagship of reentry in San Francisco and the Bay Area. William has added to his portfolio a consulting company, Studio 3³ to empower incarcerated people into positions of influence, DEI for private and government agencies, invest in start-ups with micro-lending seed money and has aims to purchase property to provide holistic reentry transitional housing.

You can find him on KPOO San Francisco 89.5FM as Soul Brotha 9 the host of Café Revolution radio show and podcast highlighting everyday heroes. He’s an aspiring filmmaker and member of The Adachi Project. As a long time member of United Playaz he saves the hood by saving one thousand youths at a time. The Marin Shakespeare’s Returning Citizen Theater Troupe gave him his first shot as writer, director and producer of plays that you can find on their website. As a member of the Harvey Milk Club and future board member, William shares his insight to make all communities safer. William considers himself an Artivist, using his artistic talent to be an activist for human rights.

After completing the Freedman Policy/Communication Fellowship, he was hired by the Thea Selby CA Assembly campaign. He's the Editor of the East County North Star newspaper. He credits living in San Francisco and being appointed to the Reentry Council’s Sentencing Commission and Sheriff Department Oversight Board for providing the opportunity to exercise his civic duties. He’s latest endeavor is to support the new mayor in creating the Office of Reentry inside City Hall and to become its inaugural director. He hopes to manage the funding for re-entry and preserve the integrity of agencies and organizations in charge of caring for the reentry population.

Julie D. Soo

Julie D. Soo is a senior staff counsel with the California Department of Insurance and is charged with prosecuting enforcement cases among her regulatory duties. In 2017, she prevailed in a $12 million settlement against a surplus line insurer, one of the largest of its kind for the Department. She volunteers for a variety of community causes, including addressing hate crimes, civil rights education, campaign work, and community health advocacy. Julie served on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women (SFCOSW) from 2009 to 2021 and is a past president. She is active with the California Democratic Party and served as a delegate from 2001 to 2023, including on its Executive Board as a co-chair and lead co-chair of the Platform Committee for eight terms and as chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for two terms. Julie also served nine years on the Board of Trustees for Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. She has also served and advised the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Civil Rights Committee. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, she is a Lowell High School alumna and holds an A.B. with a double major in Pure Mathematics and Statistics from U.C. Berkeley, an M.A. in Applied Mathematics from U.C. San Diego, and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law.

Prior to law, Julie engaged in pension actuarial science, insurance underwriting, and was a medical economist. Julie is well-known for her past work as a journalist with AsianWeek, a pan-Asian national weekly based in San Francisco, where she covered breaking stories, provided legal and political commentary, and wrote about Asian American history and notable figures. She appeared on New California Media, a public television news roundtable for California’s ethnic news community and served as a guest host for Voice of the Neighborhood, a political radio talk show targeted to the Bay Area Cantonese-speaking community. She was selected as a 2006 California Endowment Health Journalism fellow based on her story about a Chinatown shooting where six youths were wounded and her discovery that San Francisco’s leading trauma center lacked interpreters past late evening hours to help non-English proficient patients and families. The story caught the attention of the Mayor, Chief of Police, and hospital administrators and led to policy changes. Julie has also served as a legislative aide and advisor to members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Julie has received awards for her community work: Women Making History Award (2004), Democratic Women’s Forum of San Francisco; Vagina Warrior Award (2012), Filipina Women’s Network; Outstanding Giving Back Award (2013), Asian Women’s Resource Center; Best Community Leader Award (2015), Korean American Journalists Association; Inspiring Leadership Award (2018), San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking (SFCAHT); and, Woman Warrior Award (2019), Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition (PAAWBAC).

She believes in storytelling and shared experiences as a means of building unity and has been a producer and advisor on documentary films. Julie has conversational abilities in Cantonese and has studied Mandarin to further her community work.