Vallejo City Council to release police department audit findings at special meeting

VALLEJO, Calif. (KRON) — The Vallejo City Council has called for a special meeting to take place to present the findings of a third party audit to improve its local police department.

The audit was conducted by OIR Group and includes a recommendation report for the Vallejo Police Department on areas where there needs improvements.

The complete findings will be released to the community on Jun. 16 through the Council Meeting agenda reports.

“The City has been looking forward to the OIR Group’s assessment and recommendations since we hired them in August 2019 to conduct an independent evaluation,” Mayor Bob Sampayan said.

“I want Vallejoans to know how deeply committed the City is to implementing the recommendations to improve police services for our community. This is a multi-year effort and to be successful it requires cooperation and a shared mission with the community.”

Despite the report considered confidential and subject to attorney-client privilege — the city council removed the privilege to ensure full transparency and to seek community involvement in the improvement process.

On Jun. 16, VPD Chief of Police Shawny Williams and a representative from the OIR Group will present the findings to the city council and community.

The OIR Group will summarize the findings and recommendations based upon the consulting group’s assessment of VPD policies and practices.

“Over the past 10 months, the OIR Group has looked into the Vallejo Police Department’s policies and practices ranging from recruitment to staffing to the handling of critical incidents,” City Manager Greg Nyhoff said. 

“Their expert feedback has identified areas where the Vallejo Police Department can improve and help bring the Department into alignment with industry best practices.” 

In addition, Chief Williams will present his plan for implementing each of the recommendations along with his vision for implementing the 21st Century Policing.

The agenda for the special meeting on Jun. 16 will be posted in the City Agenda and Videos webpage — due to COVID-19 members of the public are encouraged to participate via the city’s Virtual Town Hall.

To learn more on the the City of Vallejo’s effort to improving relationships between police and the community click here.