2019 4th Qtr

Citizen Complaints against Officers
2019 4th Quarter

All citizen complaints against officers are documented and investigated by the department’s supervisors. Once the investigation is complete, it is reviewed by the Section Commander, Division Commander and then forwarded to the Office of the Chief where the decision is made as to the finding of the complaint. Complaints questioning the basis for a citation or arrest are not documented and those complainants are advised to go through the court system.

There are four different categories of complaint findings:

  • Sustained - The investigation produced a preponderance of evidence to prove the allegation did in fact occur and the action of the officer was improper.
  • Not Sustained - The investigation failed to produce a preponderance of evidence to either prove or disprove the allegation.
  • Exonerated - The allegation in fact did occur but the actions of the officer were legal, justified, proper, and in accordance with the law and the department’s policies and procedures.
  • Unfounded - The allegation in fact did not occur, based on the evidence.

During this quarter, there were nine citizen’s complaints against officers. The findings for these complaints are as follows:

  1. On 9-17-2019, a citizen complained about a lack of service from officers who refused to make an arrest.An investigation was conducted and this showed that the officers completed a thorough investigation which was documented in a case report.The investigation into the complaint showed that there was no lack of service and the officers did their job as they were trained.The complaint was unfounded.
  2. On 10-3-2019, a citizen came to the Law Enforcement Center to file a complaint against an SFPD Sergeant involving allegations dating to 2005 and 2011.These allegations were investigated and were discovered to be the result of a mental health issue with the complainant.The complaint was unfounded.
  3. On 10-6-2019, a citizen was arrested and complained of being assaulted by officers.An investigation into the complaint was conducted, to include the audio/video from the officer’s involved and an independent citizen witness.The statements and A/V proved the complaint to be unfounded.
  4. On 10-12-2019, a citizen was arrested by officers.He resisted and force was used to take him into custody.He then complained that he was assaulted by officers.This complaint was investigated, to include the audio/video from the officer’s squad car.As a result of this investigation the complaint was unfounded.
  5. On 10-12-2019, a citizen was arrested by officers.He resisted arrest and force was used to take him into custody.He complained that he was assaulted and his handcuffs were too tight.An investigation was conducted to include a review of audio/video from the incident.This investigation showed that the officers used the least amount of force necessary to make the arrest and that they checked the citizen’s handcuffs for fit numerous times. This complaint was unfounded.
  6. On 10-18-2019, a citizen complained about the service they received from officers on a call which occurred on 10-11-2019.They thought the officers should have done several items which the officers could not legally do.The officers explained this but this didn’t satisfy the citizen.A complaint was lodged and investigated.As a result of this it was found the officers acted appropriately and the complaint was unfounded.
  7. On 10-19-2019, a citizen was arrested and complained of injuries from the arrest.An investigation was conducted, to include a review of the officer’s audio/video recording.The investigation showed the citizen resisted arrest and struggled against her handcuffs.Her injuries were caused by this struggling and the complaint was unfounded.
  8. On 10-24-2019, a citizen was arrested and taken to jail.In jail he was guided by an officer because he was having trouble walking.He then complained that he officer punched him in the back.An investigation was conducted and audio/video of the incident was reviewed.It was clear that no assault occurred and the complaint was unfounded.
  9. On 11-3-2019, a citizen was arrested and transported by officers.He then complained about his handcuffs being too tight and injuring him.He was taken to the hospital where he was cleared of injuries and an investigation into the complaint was conducted.A review of the audio/video showed that the handcuffs were properly applied.The subject was found to be uninjured by the medical facility.This complaint is unfounded.