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Office of Citizen Complaints
The mission of the Office of Citizen complaints is to promptly, fairly and impartially investigate complaints against San Francisco police officers and make policy recommendations regarding police practices. Civilians who have never been police officers in San Francisco staff the Office of Citizen Complaints. Our brochure is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
The Office of Citizen Complaints was created as a separate city department by a voter initiated amendment to the San Francisco City Charter (Section 4.127) and placed under the direct supervision of the Police Commission in 1983.
2009 Community Outreach Strategic Plan (PDF)
Examiner Editorial: Police Watchdog Agency Deserves Reprieve
Budget Cuts Hamper S.F. Police Watchdog
Long delays plague S.F. police discipline
Police Commission Meeting: November 18, 2009 - CANCELLED
The Office of Citizen Complaints receives complaints from civilians regarding misconduct by members of the San Francisco Police Department. It has a staff of investigators who will investigate and make written findings on your complaint of police misconduct.
You should file a complaint when you feel that a member of the San Francisco Police Department has acted improperly in the course of their work. Whether the complaint is related to discourteous treatment, failure to take action, inaccurate report writing, an unjustified arrest, unnecessary force or any other police action or inaction that you feel is wrong, the Office of Citizen Complaints wants to know about it.
Mediation
The Office of Citizen Complaints provides a voluntary mediation program. We conducted 71 mediations in 2008. Through the assistance of trained volunteer mediators, the Office of Citizen Complaints' mediation program enables complainants and officers to discuss their perspectives on the encounter that gave rise to a complaint.
Policy Analysis
The Office of Citizen Complaints makes recommendations to the Police Commission concerning policies or practices of the San Francisco Police Department which should be created, changed or amended to avoid unnecessary tension with the public or a definable segment of the public, while insuring effective police services.
Community Outreach
The Office of Citizen Complaints engages in community outreach to inform the public and to create transparency about this office's services, goals and accomplishments. By using a community-based approach, the Office of Citizen Complaints works with leaders, advocates and organizations to educate the public about our services. Through presentations, widely distributed written materials and this website, we seek to increase the public's understanding of civilian oversight and the active role the public can play in making the Office of Citizen Complaints and community policing successful.
Telephone(415)241-7711 * Fax(415)241-7733 * TTY(415)241-7770
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