San Diego, CALIF.- This summer was marked by news reports of alleged police misconduct and the reaction to it, from the politically inspired Black Lives Matter.
The City of San Diego wasn’t immune to police shootings and calls of police misconduct.
Enter Measure G, which aims to improve public oversight of police practices by implementing changes to the City Charter. Measure G addresses the process of dealing with in-custody deaths and officer-involved shootings. The panel, which consists of 23 appointed, unpaid volunteers, has been criticized for its lack of diversity, transparency, and effectiveness.
Currently, the City of San Diego has a Citizens Review Board (CRB) assigned to review misconduct cases investigated by the Police Department’s Internal Affairs division. Complaints are first filed by citizens and then are investigated by the San Diego Police Department’s Internal Affairs (IA). IA reports its findings to the Citizens’ Review Board, which may agree or disagree with the report. Measure G would amend the City Charter section to make investigations of officer-involved deaths mandatory, regardless of whether or not a complaint was filed.
Measure G proposes two other amendments to the City Charter: (1) rename the “Citizens Review Board” to “Community Review Board” and (2) change the CRB’s supervision to the “Mayor and City Council” instead of “City Manager,” making it easier for the City Council to regulate the board.
Measure G has received widespread support. Councilmember Todd Gloria, who wrote the measure, told San Diego CityBeat that G is, in many ways, a “cleanup,” and he hopes it will pave the way for additional reforms in the future. “Reforms that ought to be the result of additional hearings and conversations with the community,” Gloria added.