seventeenth-quarterly-report.pdf

Seventeenth Quarterly Report of the Independent Monitor for the Oakland Police Department April 28, 2014 Page 11 Testing Unit reviewed the records of OPD members and employees to verify that their vital information and records were current and, therefore, followed Departmental policy.3 We found that all five planned tests focused on individual members and employees of OPD who were the subjects of high numbers of allegations of misconduct over the prior 18 months; all five planned tests passed. The remaining seven integrity tests were selective tests, focusing on whether the officers who were subjects of the test failed to adhere to OPD policies.4 Two of these tests were conducted on officers who were the subjects of repeated allegations, and addressed the sources of the repeated allegations. Of the seven selective tests, six passed and one of the tests failed administratively. The selective tests during this reporting period covered a broad range of topics. They included four tests that evaluated the use of Personal Digital Recording Devices (PDRDs) by OPD members. The first of these was conducted following a complaint from the Alameda County Public Defender’s Office alleging that an officer falsified his reports and took an illegal statement. The ITU reviewed PDRD footage for the subject officer and compared it to written offense reports for accuracy, but did not discover any discrepancies. In two others, the ITU randomly reviewed videos and corresponding reports of officers assigned to “specialty units” to ensure that officers were activating their PDRDs when required. The ITU found that PDRD recordings were properly documented in corresponding police reports. The fourth of these focused on an officer who had a high number of allegations of misconduct over the prior 18 months. ITU reviewed the officer’s PDRD footage, offense reports, and CAD notes to ensure that the officer appropriately conducted himself and documented his calls for service. The ITU found that the officer failed to conduct proper preliminary investigations on three occasions. As a result, the test failed administratively, and the discovered deficiencies were referred to the officer’s chain of command. Another selective test focused on the review of six completed background investigations for Police Officer Trainees who were currently in the Academy class. The ITU conducted additional cyber-vetting, and found no damaging information. An additional test focused on ensuring that officers were providing OPD informational business cards (IBCs), as required by the revised DGO M-03, and found that officers were providing the cards to citizens in accordance with Department policy. The final test selected an officer who has a pattern of complaints related to his conduct to review his patrol history, submitted reports, and PDRD recordings to ensure that he was properly investigating crimes and in compliance with Department policy. The ITU did not discover any policy violations in the review. 3 Planned integrity tests are designed specifically to test the compliance – with Departmental policies or procedures – of specific members or employees who are identified as the subject of the test. 4 Pursuant to Internal Affairs Policy & Procedures 07-01, selective integrity tests are targeted enforcement tools aimed at addressing specific issues regarding specific members, employees, or units. Case3:00-cv-04599-TEH Document979 Filed04/28/14 Page12 of 88