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DATE: MARCH 27, 2025
TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: POLICE CHIEF ANDREW BINDER
SUBJECT: USE OF FORCE SUPPLEMENT TO MARCH 2025 IPA REPORT
This memorandum responds to the City Council’s November 2020 direction to provide use of force summary data (which encompasses all use of force incidents in which a “Supervisor’s Report on Use of Force” has been completed by the Police Department) as an attachment to each Independent Police Auditor (IPA) report. Policy Manual §300 (“Use of Force”) requires that all uses of force by Police Department members “be documented promptly, completely, and accurately in an appropriate report.”
1 The policy also requires that, under certain
circumstances, a “Supervisor’s Report on Use of Force” also be completed by the supervisor and routed for approval through the chain of command up to and including the Police Chief.
Most commonly, a “Supervisor’s Report on Use of Force” is completed after an officer uses some form of force that results in a visible or apparent physical injury to a subject or the subject complains of pain or alleges they were injured.
Consistent with the IPA’s expanded scope of administrative review established by the City Council in November 2020, the Department forwards the following types of use of force cases to the IPA for review and recommendations: all cases where a subject’s injuries necessitate any treatment beyond minor medical treatment in the field, and all cases where an officer uses a baton, chemical agent, TASER, less lethal projectile, canine, or firearm. The IPA’s scope of administrative review was further expanded in July 2021 to include cases when a firearm is pointed at a subject.
Consistent with the practice established in the May 2023 iteration of this memorandum, the Department is choosing to release the race of the recipient(s) of any force used.
This summary covers the period of July 1, 2024 thru November 30, 2024.
1 The Palo Alto Police Department Policy Manual is updated quarterly and posted online at https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Police/Public -Information-Portal/Police-Policy-Manual.
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Use of Force Cases
From July 1, 2024 thru December 31, 2024, the Police Department responded to more than 20,567 calls for service and effected more than 600 arrests. During that time, there were five (5) cases where force requiring a “Supervisor’s Report on Use of Force” was used, one of which fell within the IPA’s scope of administrative review. The IPA’s review of that case will appear in a future IPA report.
The race of the subjects upon whom force was used during the second half of 2024 was White (2), Hispanic (2), and Other (1).
July – December 2024 Use of Force Summary
Type of Force Number of Cases Status of IPA Review
Physical Strength 4 Not within scope
Chemical Agent 0
TASER 0
Baton 0
Less-Lethal Projectile 1 Pending
Canine 0
Firearm 0
Firearm Pointed at Person Cases
From July 1, 2024 thru December 31, 2024, officers pointed a firearm at a person on five occasions. Three of these cases appear in the current IPA report; the fourth will appear in a future IPA report.
The current IPA report includes a review of four total incidents during which officers pointed a firearm at a person. One incident occurred in the first half of 2024 but the administrative report was not completed until after July 1, 2024; the remaining three incidents occurred in the second half of 2024. In their review of these four incidents, the IPA concurred in each case with the Department’s findings that the pointing of the firearm was justified by the circumstances and consistent with policy. In the four incidents described in the current IPA report, the race of the subjects at whom a firearm was pointed were Hispanic (2), White (1), and Black (1).