Orange County Grand Jury
• 2021-2022
Grand Jury 2021-2022 How Independent is the Office of Independent Review?
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 4 findings
F1
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department reacted to the Office of Independent Review’s Investigation of OCSD Use of Force Policies and Practices report by publicly and privately lobbying the OC Board of Supervisors to discount the findings of said report.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
By October 1, 2022, to maintain the integrity and independence of the OIR, the BOS should adopt a policy that requires all members of the BOS to publicly vote on any alteration to the OIR budget. (F1, F2)
F2
A prominent member of the BOS reacted to the OCSD’s dispute with the findings of the Investigation of OCSD Use of Force Policies and Practices by unilaterally directing the office of the Orange County CEO to initiate a hiring freeze despite a previously budgeted OIR staff expansion.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
By October 1, 2022, to maintain the integrity and independence of the OIR, the BOS should adopt a policy that requires all members of the BOS to publicly vote on any alteration to the OIR budget. (F1, F2)
F3
The hiring freeze, following so closely to the publication of the OIR report and the OCSD’s objections, precipitated the viewpoint that the independence of the OIR was marginalized.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
By October 1, 2022, the BOS should approve the number of staff for the OIR that the Executive Director “recommends are necessary” in accordance with OCCO Section 1-2- 226. (F3, F4)
F4
Until the BOS appoints an Executive Director with sufficient staffing, OIR is limited in its ability to investigate complaints and challenges to ongoing investigations and those in the planning stages.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The BOS should appoint a qualified Executive Director so that the OIR can respond to complaints it receives and continue with its investigations, both ongoing and in the planning stages. (F4)
R2
By October 1, 2022, the BOS should approve the number of staff for the OIR that the Executive Director “recommends are necessary” in accordance with OCCO Section 1-2- 226. (F3, F4)