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History of Police Oversight in the City of San Diego

Mid 1980s

After a controversial police shooting, the Mayor and City Council established and appointed citizens to a Citizens' Advisory Board to review the Police Department's Use of Force Policy. This board was designed to be temporary and expire after 12 months. The review process was a success and the board was made permanent.

1987

At the recommendation of the Citizens' Advisory Board, the City Manager and Chief of Police appointed 15 community members to serve on the Civilian Advisory Panel on Police Practices. The purpose of this panel was to monitor the acceptance and investigation of complaints involving police officers and to ensure thoroughness, objectivity and just treatment of citizens and officers alike.

1988

Propositions "F" and "G" were offered to the citizens of San Diego. "F" proposed a "Police Review Commission" and was viewed by the Civilian Advisory Panel as having a negative impact on the current system. "G" proposed a Citizens' Review Board on Police Practices (CRB) and was seen as most beneficial to the department and community. "G" gained the most support and won the public vote.

The new City Charter Amendment (Proposition G) gave the City Manager the exclusive authority to create and establish a Citizens' Review Board on Police Practices to review and evaluate citizens' complaints against police officers and the discipline arising from such complaints.

1988 – Passage of Proposition G

The Citizens’ Review Board on Police Practices (CRB) was established in November 1988 because of the passage of Proposition G to review and evaluate complaints brought by the public against the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). The CRB also reviewed officer-involved shooting (OIS) cases, in-custody death (ICD) cases, and the administration of discipline resulting from “sustained” complaints. Officer-involved shooting and in-custody death cases were investigated by the SDPD Homicide Unit, the District Attorney’s Office, and Internal Affairs before being reviewed by the CRB.

2016 – Passage of Measure G

In November 2016, Measure G was placed on the ballot and passed with an 82% vote. Measure G changed the name of the CRB from the Citizens’ Review Board on Police Practices to the Community Review Board on Police Practices so that it was inclusive of all San Diegans. Measure G also created a dual responsibility of the CRB to the Mayor and the City Council and codified the practice of the CRB’s review of in-custody deaths and officer-involved shootings to become a permanent practice of the CRB’s responsibility. The purpose of the CRB was to review and evaluate complaints made by members of the public regarding the conduct of officers of the City of San Diego Police Department (SDPD). The CRB also reviewed officer-involved shooting cases, in-custody death cases and the administration of discipline resulting from “sustained” complaints. Officer-involved shooting and in-custody death cases were investigated by the SDPD Homicide Unit, the District Attorney’s Office, and Internal Affairs (IA) before being reviewed by the CRB. The CRB also made policy and procedural recommendations to SDPD for consideration and was instrumental in many changes to SDPD’s policies and procedures

2020 – Passage of Measure B

On November 3, 2020, the voters of San Diego approved Measure B creating a new independent Commission on Police Practices (CPP) that replaced the Community Review Board on Police Practices (CRB). Per the City Charter amendment, the members of the CRB at the time of its dissolution became interim CPP Commissioners. The San Diego City Council adopted an implementation ordinance specifying the number of Commissioners, term length, qualifications, and selection process in October 2022.

CPP Commissioners are appointed by the San Diego City Council. The Commission is staffed by an executive director, who is appointed by the San Diego City Council; investigators and other City employees or contractors, who are independent of the Police Department and the Mayor; and legal counsel, independent of the City Attorney.

The implementation of Measure B saw several key milestones. The Commission transitioned out of its initial phase with the implementation ordinance taking effect in November 2022, following its adoption on October 3, 2022. New commissioners were appointed on May 22, 2023, sworn in, and met for the first time on August 29, 2023. On September 12, 2023, the first CPP cabinet (leadership) was elected, and three ad-hoc committees—Bylaws, Operating Procedures, and Training—were formed. The CPP adopted new bylaws on March 6, 2024, and is currently working on finalizing their operating procedures and hiring additional staff.

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