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DATE: OCTOBER 1, 2025
TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: POLICE CHIEF ANDREW BINDER
SUBJECT: USE OF FORCE SUPPLEMENT TO 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 December 1, 2024 thru May 31, 2025.
Use of Force Cases
From December 1, 2024 thru May 31, 2025, the Police Department responded to more than 21,000 calls for service and effected more than 600 arrests. During that time, there were 7 cases where force requiring a “Supervisor’s Report on Use of Force” was used, and 2 of which fell within the IPA’s scope of administrative review. The IPA’s review of those 2 cases will appear in a future IPA report.
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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The current IPA report includes a review of 1 use of force incident, which occurred prior to December 1, 2024. In their review of this incident, the IPA concurred with the Department’s finding that the force used was justified by the circumstances and consistent with policy. The race of the subject upon whom force was used was White.
December 2024 thru May 2025 Use of Force Summary
Type of Force Number of Cases Status of IPA Review
Physical Strength 7 2 cases pending review; 5 outside of scope Chemical Agent 0
TASER 0
Baton 0
Less-Lethal Projectile 0
Canine 0
Firearm 0
Firearm Pointed at Person Cases
From December 1, 2024 thru May 31, 2025, officers pointed a firearm at a person on 9 occasions. Three of these cases appear in the current IPA report; the remaining 6 will appear in a future IPA report.
The current IPA report includes a review of 3 total incidents during which officers pointed a firearm at a person, each of which occurred between December 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. In their review of these 3 incidents, the IPA concurred in each case with the Department’s finding that the pointing of the firearm was justified by the circumstances and consistent with policy. In the 3 incidents described in the current IPA report, the race of the subjects at whom a firearm was pointed was Hispanic (2), and Other (1).