Response to
Recommendations from the
Independent Police Auditor
Public Safety Subcommittee
OIR History with Santa Rosa Police
• OIR Group was selected to be the Independent Auditor for SRPD in 2021 • In 2025 OIR reviewed 55 personnel investigations down from 62 in 2024 • OIR Group consults SRPD on the outcomes of personnel investigations • June of 2026 they presented their recommendations to City Council. • There were 7 recommendations
OIR Recommendation 1
• SRPD should continue its commitment to involving a range of supervisors in the administrative discipline process, particularly by entrusting them with responsibility for handling lower-level allegations of misconduct.
Response:
• SRPD concurs with OIR group. All allegations that come into Professional Standards are evaluated and then assigned to the appropriate supervisor. This is a professional development tool to improve supervisors' investigative skills, understand the discipline process, and develop them into better supervisors.
OIR Recommendation 2
• SRPD should explore additional ways to prepare new
supervisors with the background skills needed to effectively intake, investigate, and assess public complaints of officer misconduct.
Response:
• SRPD strongly believes in mentoring and developing all employees. Part of that process is ensuring that all supervisors are capable of handling allegations of misconduct. Chief Cregan has committed SRPD to continuing education and professional development. All supervisors attend Internal Affairs Investigation within 1 year. Additionally, We recently added a two-hour block to the new Sergeant Training where they will learn Axon Standards, the IA process, and how to appropriately handle complaints when they come in.
OIR Recommendation 3
• SRPD should focus on addressing investigative thoroughness and documentation at the patrol level by evaluating workload distribution, supervision, remediation, and other potential forms of intervention.
Response:
• One of SRPD’s values is Excellence and Quality in All that We Do. A major goal of our Strategic Plan is to Achieve Organizational Excellence. This includes thoroughness in all investigations we conduct, strengthening community ties, promoting transparency and accountability, and developing our employees.
OIR Recommendation 4
• SRPD should take an inclusive approach to the selection of incidents presented to the Major Incident Review Board, to maximize the benefit of a thorough, structured consideration of matters that are distinctive, impactful, or otherwise worthy of additional scrutiny.
Response:
• The Major Incident Review Board has become a standard for reviewing major incidents such as officer involved shootings, K9 deployments, and Use of Force incidents with injury. Policy allows the Chief of Police to send any incident to the MIRB. The MIRB is a holistic approach to evaluating all major incidents.
OIR Recommendation 5
• SRPD should refine its new Major Incident Review protocol to ensure that identified action items are assigned, completed and documented prior to closure of the case file.
Response:
• This year the department started using Axon Standards. During the MIRB when items are identified they get assigned to a specific supervisor. That supervisor is informed of the action item, given a time frame in which to complete it and the Professional Standards or Training team will follow up to ensure it gets completed before the MIRB is closed.
OIR Recommendation 5
• Axon Standards Review
OIR Recommendation 6
• SRPD should establish a clear "back end" process for the administrative resolution of officer-involved shooting incidents, which are initially presented prior to the conclusion of a criminal investigation into the case.
Response:
• Professional Standards and Training Team are working on a comprehensive process to review all OIS incidents in a holistic manner. Goal is to identify Training and Administrative needs that are discovered as part of the review process. Everything is then combined into a final report with action items and findings.
OIR Recommendation 7
• SRPD should look for ways to replicate the success of its "PFAP" review process, and instill in officers and supervisors at all levels a commitment to thorough and holistic review of force incidents.
Response:
SRPD this year has introduced Axon Standards and the MIRB review process.
Both of these are designed to standardize use of force review for supervisors at SRPD. All use of force reviews must include essential information for a thorough review and before the review is closed feedback, good or bad, is provided to the involved officers.
Questions?
Public Safety Subcommittee