At least 17 law enforcement agencies in San Diego County have agreed to new protocols for investigating officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths involving force, the district attorney's office said in a memorandum of understanding.
Law enforcement agencies will conduct new investigative steps when officer-involved shootings occur, according to the memo obtained by Chula Vista Today:
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department will investigate San Diego Police Department (SDPD) shootings involving officers.The San Diego Police Department will investigate San Diego County Sheriff's Department shootings involving officers and all other local law enforcement agencies involved in a shooting.
Shootings involving the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and the San Diego Police Department will be investigated by the Chula Vista Police Department.
The new agreement will also cover deaths in custody involving force.
The San Diego County District Attorney's office will continue to review all shootings once the investigation by the lead investigating agency is complete. The agreement includes the police departments of the county's three most extensive and most populous cities: San Diego, Chula Vista, and Escondido.
Also signing are the police chiefs of National City, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Coronado, El Cajon, La Mesa, and departments at California State and University, Community Colleges, and the Port Police, among others.
The district attorney's office stated that "it is important to continue building public trust by adding another layer of transparency that ensures no agency investigates its own shooting incidents."
