San Diego Police Chief Sorry For 'Unprecedented' Officer Misconduct
SAN DIEGO (CBS) — The city's top cop apologized to residents of San Diego in the wake of a record surge in officer misconduct investigations.
KNX 1070's Tom Reopelle reports Chief William Lansdowne apologized on behalf of the San Diego Police Department and pledged to do everything possible to regain the public's confidence and "repair the damage done."
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"I want to personally apologize to every citizen of the city of San Diego," Lansdowne said at a briefing outside downtown police headquarters on Tuesday, adding that there was "no excuse at all" for the purported misdeeds on the part of sworn members of his agency.
In response to what he called an "unprecedented amount" of accusations that have surfaced in the laste three months against SDPD personnel — nine cases total, five of which have resulted in criminal charges — Lansdowne outlined a seven-step program designed to prevent such cases.
The revised strategies include increased internal-affairs staffing, more ethics training, a 24-hour complaint hot line, a review of the department's discipline manual and use-of-force tactics, "wellness" assessment during officers' annual evaluations and a series of meetings with all employees.
The SDPD's command staff believes the plan will help restore the department's image, which, the chief said, has been "tarnished" by the series of cases involving alleged officer misconduct.
"And we will work hard to repair that," Lansdowne said.
