City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: INFORMATION REPORT
Lead Department: City Manager
Meeting Date: April 21, 2025
Report #:2504-4480
TITLE
Independent Police Auditor's (IPA) Report of Review of Investigations as of November 2024 and Police Department Use of Force Report for July - November 2024
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Since 2006, Palo Alto has utilized an Independent Police Auditor (IPA) to conduct secondary review of certain investigations of uniformed Police Department personnel and provide related services. Since the inception of the independent police auditing program, the City has contracted with the Office of Independent Review (OIR Group), to provide these services.1 The following report transmits the Independent Police Auditor Report on Investigations Completed as of November 2024. For reference, the prior IPA report was published for November 4, 2024 as an Informational Item2. The Police Department’s website lists all past Independent Police Auditor Reports, here3. Attachment A contains the IPA report for investigations completed as of November 2024. Per Council direction, the Police Department also shares use of force information through a report provided alongside each IPA report, included here as Attachment B and covers the time period of July – November 2024. The Police Department’s responses to IPA report recommendations are included here as Attachment C.
Consistent with standing practice, this report is issued as informational for the City Council and the public. Typically, the report is issued a few weeks before the City Council study session with the IPA, however, the timing of the spring 2025 materials led to the items being published simultaneously. The previous process will resume with the fall report. The purpose of the City 1 The City’s contract with OIR has been extended and will be extended once more to allow staff to conduct an RFP in 2025 for the IPA work consistent with City procurement procedures. 2 The November Independent Police Auditor Report: Item #14 for November 4, 2024 City Council:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=14481 3 Palo Alto Police Department Accountability Webpage:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Police/Accountability Independent Police Auditor Reports Webpage:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Police/Accountability/Independent-Police-Auditor
Council discussion with the IPA is to discuss general trends in criminal justice and policing, policy and training matters, recommendations made by OIR Group, and other City Council concerns. These discussions with the IPA and City Council are not for the purpose of elaborating on the published reviews of specific incidents and should not include discussion of personnel matters prohibited by law. The IPA will be discussing general topics the City Council expresses interest in periodically discussing.
Process to File a Complaint to the IPA
The public can find more information about filing a complaint through the link here:
www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Police/Accountability/Employee-Complaint Complaints may also be directed to the Independent Police Auditor as follows:
Contact:
Mike Gennaco
Phone: (323) 821-0586
Email: [email protected]
Or mail to:
OIR Group
1443 E. Washington Blvd., #234
Pasadena, CA 91104
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The OIR Group is already contracted with the City and this report did not incur any additional expenses.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City’s Independent Police Auditor activities are not a project under section 15378(b)(25) of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines (administrative activities that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment).
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Independent Police Auditor's (IPA) Report of Review of Investigations as of November 2024
Attachment B: Police Department Use of Force Report for July 2024 – November 2024 Attachment C: Police Department Responses to IPA Report, April 2025 APPROVED BY:
Ed Shikada, City Manager