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In February 2000, San Diego Police Chief David Bejarano formed a Task Force to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Department’s use of force policies and procedures. The Task Force was formed in response to growing local and nation-wide concern regarding use of force by law enforcement. The Task Force’s fifteen month analysis included a review of Department policies, procedures, and training in the areas of lethal and less lethal force, police vehicle pursuits, media issues, community issues, and interactions with the homeless and the mentally ill. As a result of this endeavor, the Task Force made 100 recommendations for change. Chief Bejarano facilitated a presentation of the Task Force final report to the City Council’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee on Wednesday August 8, 2001. The Executive Summary, a list of the 100 recommendations, and the full report of the Use of Force Task Force are provided here for review.
In order to investigate what is often termed "racial profiling" in the national discussion about the use and abuse of police authority, the San Diego Police Department initiated data collection on all vehicle stops in January, 2000 when officers began completing "stop cards." The Department enlisted independent researchers to assist with the analysis. We also formed a community advisory board to provide extensive input into the study. A preliminary report on the first six months of data was issued in September 2000. Data for 2000 was issued in May of 2001. This report presents analysis on the second full year of data collection, January through December 2001, representing over 120,000 vehicle stops. Our press release of the analysis is also published here.
Responses to the report from the Urban League, the ACLU, the San Diego NAACP, and the Latino Unity Coalition can be reviewed at the ACLU of San Diego web site (www.aclusandiego.org).
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