A San Diego advocacy group is hauling the police department into court, accusing officers of quietly dumping citizen misconduct complaints into a catchall “miscellaneous” pile that never makes it to civilian oversight. The legal move argues that the practice has sidelined a big share of complaints from the independent Commission on Police Practices and reopened old questions about whether Measure B’s promise of tougher oversight has really been delivered.
According to Times of San Diego, the writ of mandate was filed by Pillars of the Community and local advocate Tasha Williamson. They argue that the San Diego Police Department labeled nearly 80% of complaints as “miscellaneous” to keep them out of the commission’s hands. The petition asks a judge to order the city and SDPD to comply with Measure B and to stop withholding citizen complaints from civilian review.
Measure B, approved by nearly three-quarters of San Diego voters in November 2020, created an independent Commission on Police Practices with members appointed by the City Council and authority to investigate officer misconduct and recommend discipline. As the City of San Diego explains, the measure was intended to give the commission its own staff, legal counsel and subpoena power, although how fully that vision has been carried out remains a running fight…