Our mission
The mission of the Department of Police Accountability is to promptly, fairly and impartially investigate complaints against San Francisco police officers, make policy recommendations regarding police practices and conduct periodic audits of the San Francisco Police Department. Civilians who have never been police officers in San Francisco staff the Department of Police Accountability.
The Department of Police Accountability was formerly known as the Office of Citizen Complaints. It was established through an amendment to the San Francisco City Charter (section 4.127) in 1982.
In 2016, voters approved an amendment (section 4.136) to:
- Change the name to the Department of Police Accountability
- Remove the DPA from the San Francisco Police Department's (SFPD) budget
- Investigate all SFPD officer-involved shootings
- Conduct periodic performance audits of the SFPD