SF District Attorney

Policy

Independent Investigations Bureau

IIB is an independent unit within the SFDA’s Office, which reports directly to the District Attorney, committed to ensuring law enforcement accountability by conducting independent investigations, and where warranted, criminally prosecuting officers who violate the law.

IIB's Main Responsibilities

1. Investigate and review all officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths.

2. Investigate and review all other excessive use of force cases.

Contact Us

IIB responds to reports from the public and other agencies. Attorneys and investigators work together on these matters to conduct diligent, independent investigations of all credible allegations. Whether by referral or through the on-call process, IIB’s approach is designed to ensure that professional, thorough, and impartial investigations are conducted.

IIB may be reached by e-mail at SFDA-IIB@sfgov.org or telephone at (628) 652-4000.

IIB Police Conduct Hotline: (628) 652-4420

Independence of the Unit

  • IIB works autonomously and independently of every other unit within the District Attorney’s Office
  • Exclusively works on police use of force cases and post-conviction claims of innocence
  • All final reports written by IIB are submitted to the California Department of Justice and posted on the office’s website
  • The press is also notified of every decision
  • IIB reports to the District Attorney

Investigative Process

IIB investigates and independently reviews all officer use of force allegations, including officer-involved shooting incidents resulting in injury or death. The team also reviews all other use of force resulting in death of individuals while in custody or under the control of law enforcement officers. IIB’s investigation and review does not consider issues of civil liability, tactics, and departmental policies and procedures; the only inquiry is whether the officer(s) involved committed any violation of criminal law.

The office has reached an agreement with the San Francisco Police Department on the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) outlining how criminal investigations of officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and uses of force resulting in serious bodily injury will be handled. 

A team of inspectors and attorneys from IIB are on call 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. When a covered incident (i.e., an officer-involved shooting or in-custody death) occurs and IIB is notified, the on-call team responds.

IIB attorneys are involved in every aspect of the investigative process and are also responsible for evaluating evidence and recommending decisions to the District Attorney. Working under the direction and leadership of IIB attorneys, IIB inspectors serve as the primary law enforcement investigators on these matters.

Three fundamental principles guide IIB assessments: (1) evidence-based factual analysis; (2) fidelity to the law; and (3) scrupulous adherence to prosecutorial ethics.

Held to the same standard as all prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office, IIB attorneys will only recommend criminal charges to the District Attorney when they believe that based on all admissible evidence they would be able to prove unlawful conduct beyond a reasonable doubt. When charges are filed, IIB handles all aspects of prosecution up to and including trial and sentencing.

For all officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths where criminal charges are not warranted, a report summarizing IIB’s review of the matter will be made public and available on the SFDA website. These reports, including previous decisions of the office since 2010 on officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths, are available here.

Decision Letters

The following reports document the facts, evidence, and legal analysis the DA’s Office relied on in determining if charges would be filed in the given case.

Officer -Involved Shootings / Use of Force

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Mario Woods on December 2, 2015Report Attachment

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting Death of Javier Lopez Garcia on November 11, 2015

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting Involving Randal Maykopet on October 24, 2015

Report on the Officer Involved Shooting Death of Herbert Omar Benitez on October 15, 2015

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Alice Brown on March 17, 2015

Summary of investigation And Legal Analysis of the Fatal Shooting of Amilcar Perez-Lopez on Feburary 26, 2015; 3D Recreation; Evidence Chart

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Matthew Joseph Hoffman on January 4, 2015

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Demond Rogers on January 4, 2015

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Jason Seymour At 900-914 Connecticut Street on November 6, 2014

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Oshaine Evans on October 7, 2014

Report on the Officer-Involved Shooting Death of Giovany Contreras-Sandoval on September 25, 2014

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Alejandro Nieto on May 21, 2014

Letter on the Officer Involved Shooting of Ramone Wellington on February 4, 2014

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Jacques Samuel on December 30, 2013

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Carlos Miranda on July 20, 2013

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Dale Stuart Wilkerson on April 17, 2013

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Fredi Ulisis Martinez on April 7, 2013

Letter on the Officer Involved Shooting of Peter Russell on March 15, 2013

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Eddie Tilman on March 5, 2013

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Aaron Westley Sawyer on March 2, 2013

Letter on the Officer-Involved Shooting of Alexander Gibbons on February 14, 2013

In-Custody Death

Letter on the In-custody Death of Alberto Carlos Petrolino on July 28, 2015

Letter on the In-custody Death of Marvin Day on July 2, 2015

Report on the In-Custody Death of Darnell Benson on April 6, 2015