01337.0010/1032514.1 Page 1 of 2
November 19, 2024
#1032514v1<DOCS> - APPROVE Interim Investigator for CPRC ,
City Council
DATE: November 19, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Council Member Jimenez
Subject:
Hire Interim Investigator for the Community Police Review Commission
FINANCIAL IMPACT: No fiscal impact at this time, but the current budget allocation may not be adequate to cover the full six months of services. CPRC may need to request further funding at a later date.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Recently the investigator supporting the CPRC resigned.
Hiring a new permanent investigator will take at least six months. Currently, the CPRC has ten citizen complaints
on file that need to be investigated, some dating back to December 2023. Citizen complaints should be
investigated within one year of filing. To provide for the timely review of outstanding complaints, the City may
wish to hire an interim investigator to manage both the complaint backlog and future complaints filed before the City completes its formal recruitment and hiring of a
permanent investigator.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
(This will appear on the agenda)
APPROVE the following actions: 1) hire a n Interim
Investigator to undertake the investigative duties
previously performed by the former Community Police
Review Commission investigator while the City recruits and hires a permanent investigator; 2) reallocate the
current budget to that interim investigator; and 3) create an ad hoc committee of the City Council to prepare an
AGENDA
REPORT
01337.0010/1032514.1 Page 2 of 2
November 19, 2024
#1032514v1<DOCS> - APPROVE Interim Investigator for CPRC , interim investigator job description , interview proposed candidates, select the best qualified candidate to fill the temporary interim investigator position and present the candidate to the full City Council for approval – Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez (510-620-6565).
DISCUSSION:
On September 30, 2024, the investigator supporting the Community Police Review Commission (“CPRC”) resigned from his role with the CPRC. He was responsible for investigating all citizen complaints filed with the CPRC. We expect the hiring process for a new permanent investigator, including preparing an updated job description, recruiting and interviewing candidates, negotiating compensation, conducting background checks, and completing the hiring process for the new permanent investigator, to take at least six months.
Currently, the CPRC has ten citizen complaints on file that have yet to be investigated.
Citizen complaints should be investigated in a timely manner, and certainly within one year of filing. Three of the outstanding CPRC complaints that will reach the one-year threshold before February 1, 2025, and two others have already exceeded the one-year mark. In light of the number of complaints needing attention, it is important that the City hire an investigator as soon as possible.
Additionally, historically the CPRC receives approximately one citizen complaint per month. In fact, the CPRC has received three new complaints since the previous investigator delivered his resignation in September. Without interim help, by the time the City hires a new permanent investigator there will likely be sixteen or more outstanding complaints to be investigated, and three more of the current complaints will have exceeded the one-year timeframe.
The previous investigator was employed by the City on an hourly basis at the rate of $107/hour, with an expected workload of approximately 80 hours per month, equating to compensation of just over $50,000 for six months. Based on recent inquiries, it seems unlikely that the City will be able to identify an interim investigator willing to commit to the previous investigator’s compensation level. Moreover, considering the backlog of complaints, 80 hours per month is not adequate to investigate the current level of complaints or the expected future level of complaints. Therefore, the CPRC will likely be required to request additional funding for the interim investigator at some point during the six month contract.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
No Documents