Report 2021-109 Recommendation 16 Responses
Report 2021-109: San Diego County Sheriff's Department: It Has Failed to Adequately Prevent and Respond to the Deaths of Individuals in Its Custody (Release Date: February 2022)
Recommendation #16 To: Citizens' Law Enforcement Review Board
To ensure its investigations are independent, timely, and thorough, CLERB should, by May 2022, create policies and procedures to require its investigators to finish casework on in-custody death investigations within three months of receiving the homicide investigation file. These policies and procedures should also require investigators to attempt to independently verify any information they receive from the Sheriff's Department, to thoroughly review deputy statements and reports from the homicide investigation file, and to request interviews with relevant detention staff and other witnesses in all instances in which they identify discrepancies or missing information.
60-Day Agency Response
On February 3, 2022, the EO incorporated all aspects of this recommendation into existing CLERB Policy #300.5, entitled, "Death Investigations."
- Completion Date: February 2022
- Response Date: April 2022
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Fully Implemented
CLERB provided an updated policy related to death investigations that includes the required elements from our recommendation.
All Recommendations in 2021-109
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.