Fair and Balanced Reform

to Increase Police

Accountability and Transparency 

 

The Problem: The San Diego Police Department polices itself. This is despite some truly staggering truths. SDPD uses force at a rate 95% higher than California’s other 42 police departments. Studies commissioned by the city itself document SDPD's wide-spread discrimination against communities of color, LGBTQ+, the disabled, and unsheltered communities. We can do much better than this as a community.

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The commonsense solution: Establish a community-led Commission on Police Practices, created and controlled by the people, not politicians and not law enforcement.

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 Introducing the 

 Commission on Police Practices 

​San Diegans for Justice placed a measure on the November 2020 ballot to replace the current Community Review Board on Police Practices with an independent, community-led Commission on Police Practices to bring public trust to the way SDPD is held accountable.

 

This real justice ballot measure in San Diego needs your help and support.  

 

This new Commission will:

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Conduct independent investigations into complaints of police misconduct that San Diegans can trust.

The new Commission will be required to use independent investigators not affiliated with SDPD. The current system is limited to only reviewing investigations conducted by the Internal Affairs Department of SDPD.

Require independent legal counsel with NO conflicts.

The current system relies on the City Attorney for advice and representation, but the City Attorney also advises and represents the Mayor and SDPD. Sound fair to you?

Subpoena law enforcement and non-law enforcement witnesses and their records as part of any investigation.

The current system depends on information passed on by law enforcement and offers no subpoena power for the public to discover the truth themselves.

Investigate cases like domestic violence by law enforcement.

The current system does not serve partners of police officers, who far too often fall through the cracks when they become victims of abuse.

Require evaluation of SDPD's compliance with Federal, State, and Local reporting laws and requirements.

The current system does not require the transparency necessary for the public to trust that SDPD complies with laws meant to protect the public from harm. 

Create a fair and balanced commission.

The new Commission will have its own staff, policies and procedures to guarantee an independent, transparent, and trustworthy process for police accountability. The current system is vulnerable to political whims because it is run by the Mayor, who also oversees the SDPD, and has received campaign support from the Police Officer’s Association. Ordinary people do not feel that their communities are heard or that the current process can be trusted.

 What Fair and Balanced Reform 

 Means for San Diego 

With a truly independent Commission, community members will have the confidence and trust that their voices will be heard by investigators free from conflicts, special interest pressures, and politics. This will result in trust of police practices, a more accountable police force, and a safer city for ALL. 

 

  • Fewer incidents of misconduct, fewer officer involved shootings, and fewer in-custody deaths.

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  • Strengthened recruitment, especially among communities of color, for a more diverse SDPD that is actually representative of the communities they serve.

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  • Less confrontations that will result in less litigation against the City and a reduction in the cost of settlements and legal awards. More money and resources can be put toward programs that keep our people and community safe.

 

 San Diegans Who Support 

 Fair and Balanced Reform 

AAPI Democratic Club

All Of Us or None

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, San Diego

American Federation of Teachers

American Friends Service Committee

Anti-Defamation League San Diego

Black Men and Women United, San Diego

Blue Dream Democrats

California Nurses Association

Center for Policy Initiatives 

Climate Action Campaign

Council on American Islamic Relations

Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency

Coalition of Labor Union Women

Clairemont Town Council

Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance

Community Assistance Support Team

Criminal Defense Lawyers Club

Democratic Socialists of America, San Diego

Democratic Woman’s Club of San Diego

Downtown San Diego Partnership

Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association

Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego

First Unitarian Universalist

Generation Justice

Hillcrest Town Council

Indivisible CA, Districts 52 & 53

La Jolla Democratic Club
La Jolla Shores Association

League of Women Voters, San Diego

March For Our Lives

Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club

Mid-City CAN

Mosques Against Trafficking

NAACP San Diego

National Action Network

National Lawyers Guild, San Diego Chapter

Ocean Beach Green Center

Older Women's League, San Diego Chapter 

Pacific Beach Democratic Club
Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)

Peace Resource Center

People's Alliance for Justice

People Over Profits, San Diego

Pillars of the Community 

Pink Crescent

Public Interest Advocacy Collaborative

Rancho Peñasquitos Democratic Club

San Diegans for Criminal Justice Reform

San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention

San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council

San Diego County Bar Association

San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council

San Diego Democrats for Environmental Action

San Diego Democrats for Equality

San Diego Green New Deal Alliance
San Diego High School Democrats

San Diego 350

San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association 

San Diego Labor Democratic Club

San Diego Organizing Project (SDOP) 

San Diego Racial Justice Coalition

San Diego County Young Democrats

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 221

Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) 

Tom Homann LGBT Law Association 

UNITE HERE Local 30

United Against Police Terror, COPWATCH San Diego

United Domestic Workers AFSCME Local 3930

Uptown Democratic Club

Veterans Democratic Club

Veterans for Peace San Diego

Women Occupy San Diego
 


U.S. Representative Scott Peters

Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins

Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber

Assemblymember Brian Maienschein

Assemblymember Todd Gloria

Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher

Council President Georgette Gómez
Councilmember Barbara Bry

Councilmember Jen Campbell

Councilmember Monica Montgomery

Councilmember Vivian Moreno

Councilmember Chris Ward

Councilmember Cori Schumacher

Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel

Trustee Nora Vargas

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Paid for by San Diegans for Justice in Support of Measure B