San Diego voters approved Measure B in November 2020 to establish a powerful police oversight body. Years later, the Commission on Police Practices still lacks the investigative and subpoena authority promised during the election.

The 75% mandate of Measure B remains unfulfilled

In November 2020, nearly three-quarters of San Diegans voted in favor of Measure B, a move driven by nationwide calls for police accountability following the death of George Floyd.. The measure was intended to replace the older Community Review Board on Police Practices with the Commission on Police Practices (CPP), granting the new body the legal power to issue subpoenas and conduct independent investigations into police misconduct.

This shift represented a significant public demand for a wattchdog that could operate outside the direct control of the police department. However, as the report says, the CPP has failed to exercise these core powers , leaving a gap between the democratic will of the voters and the actual administrative reality in San Diego.

How 'meet and cnofer' rules stalled the CPP's authority

The primary legal bottleneck for the Commission on Police Practices is California's "meet and confer" labor-negotiation process. According to the report, the city must complete these negotiations with the police union before the CPP can move past its 2021 interim rules and adopt permanent operating procedures.

These prolonged administrative reviews and disputes over proposed procedures have left the city years behind the expected timeline. This bureaucratic stalemate effectively freezes the commission in a state of limited functionality, preventing the activation of the very provisions that Measure B was designed to implement.

The SDPD's gatekeeping of internal databases

A critical failure in the current system is the lack of direct data access for the Commission on Police Practices. While CPP investigators are permitted to review internal-affairs cases,they have no direct access to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) databases and must rely on the police to provide the necessary records.

The San Diego County Civil Grand Jury found that this reliance on the SDPD creates significant delays and leaves the commission unable to verify if they have received complete information. Furthermore, the report notes that the San Diego Police Department often filters out complaints by labeling them "informal or frivolous," meaning the CPP never even sees a portion of the community's concerns.

Roger Smith's mission to grow a 'baby' commission

The leadership of the Commission on Police Practices has been volatile, marked by the late 2024 departures of General Counsel Duane Bennett and Executive Director Paul Parker. Parker resigned after only six months, warning in an exit memo that it could take years for the body to function as intended by the voters.

The new Executive Director, Roger Smith, brings over 16 years of civilian oversight experience from major cities including New York, Phoenix, Cleveland, and Oakland. Smith has described the current state of the CPP as "a baby that can be kept a baby if you keep it from growing," highlighting the systemic obstacles that continue to hinder the commission's maturity.

Who is delaying the final labor negotiations?

Despite the optimism of some city council members, several critical questions remain unanswered. Specifically, the report does not name the specific individuals or union representatives currently blocking the "meet and confer" process, nor does it provide a concrete deadline for when the labor disputes will be resolved.. additionally,there is no data provided on exactly how many complaints the San Diego Police Department has categorized as "frivolous" to avoid CPP review, leaving the true scale of the oversight gap unknown.