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IPA GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. The IPA strives to ensure that all concerns reported by members of the public are classified
and investigated at the appropriate level based upon the premise that any case brought forward
containing misconduct issues will be classified as a complaint with associated allegations,
findings and officer names tracked.
2. The IPA reaches out to inform the community about the complaint process and to listen and
respond to broader community concerns.
3. The IPA carefully considers aggregate data from complaints, community concerns and public
policy in crafting recommendations aimed toward improving the quality services of the San Jose
Police Department.
IPA STATEMENT OF VALUES AND NO-GIFT POLICY
1. Statement of Values
2. No-Gift Policy
NEWS, NEWS, NEWS ...
1. Complaint Intake Hours - In order to allow enough time
to hear and process your complaint, COMPLAINT INTAKE HOURS ARE Monday to Friday, 9-11 am and 1-4 pm. We strongly recommend that
you make an appointment to submit your complaint.
Click here for map, driving directions and parking information to the IPA Office.
2. IPA staff person receives award -
Each year, the City presents Pride of San José Awards to city employees or teams demonstrating outstanding integrity, innovation, excellence, collaboration,
respect and/or celebration. The IPA is pleased to announce that IPA Senior Analyst
Diane Doolan Diaz will receive awards for her innovation and collaboration in 2011.
An analyst with the IPA Office for almost six years, Diane helped establish the IPA Teen Leadership Council, an advisory group of young people who learn about laws
that affect teenagers and who develop leadership skills through outreach and other activities. The program is the first of its kind in the nation. In addition, Diane
collaborated with law enforcement and service provides to significantly revise and reprint, A Student’s Guide to Police Practices. The guide will be given to all high
school freshmen attending public schools in San José during the 2012 calendar year.
The 2011 Pride of San José Awards will be presented to recipients by Mayor Reed at the upcoming State of the City event on Tuesday, February 9, 2012. For more information
or to reserve a free ticket, please
click here.
3. The IPA is mandated to make recommendation to the SJPD to improve their practices and polices -
From 1993 to 2009, the IPA made 109 such recommendations, 85 of which were adopted by the SJPD. The IPA has just completed the first-ever audit of these recommendations.
The results of the audit will be presented to the Mayor and City Council at their first meeting of 2012 on Tuesday, January 10th. To read the audit results, please
click here.
4. Special to the Mercury News - LaDoris Cordell: San Jose should outfit police officers with cameras
By Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.)
Posted: 12/19/2011 08:00:00 PM PST
Updated: 12/20/2011 01:08:07 PM PST
Thursday morning saw San Jose's eighth officer-involved shooting this year, the fourth to end in a fatality. The circumstances of the shooting are under investigation
by the San Jose Police Department. Undoubtedly, there will be a review and an assessment by the district attorney; and because a member of the public registered a concern
about the shooting with us, the Office of the Independent Police Auditor will ensure that the investigation into the question of whether or not there was any police misconduct
is fair, thorough and objective.
Click here to read the full article.
5. American Leadership Forum - Silicon Valley (ALF) to Honor IPA Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.)
John W. Gardner Leadership Award -
November 3, 2011 Santa Clara, Calif. – American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley (ALF) today announced ALF Senior Fellows LaDoris Hazzard Cordell,
Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose as the recipient of the organization’s John W. Gardner Leadership Award.
Click here to read the full announcement of the Award.
6. IPA Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.) received Award from local ACLU -
We are pleased to announce that the City of San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor (IPA), Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.), received the
2011 Don Edwards Civil Liberties Award from the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-SVC)
on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at the Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051.
The award is presented annually to an individual or organization that has played a significant role in promoting or defending civil liberties in the
Santa Clara Valley community during the last year. The award is named in honor of Congressman Don Edwards who served the Santa Clara Valley as a member
of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1962 through 1995, and who, during that time, played a leadership role with every major civil rights and civil
liberties legislation passed by Congress.
Judge Cordell became the first African-American female judge in Northern California in 1982. Over the course of her distinguished career, she has received
many honors for her contributions to civil rights and to the local community, including the Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association’s “Judge of the Year”
award and the Silicon Valley NAACP’s Freedom Fighter Award. Since May 2010, Judge Cordell has served as San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor. According to the
San Jose Mercury News, she has “set the gold standard for this office, raising the bar for professionalism, community outreach, transparency and innovation.”
The Office of the San José Independent Police Auditor was established by the City Council in 1993 to provide oversight of the citizen complaint process, analyze
patterns and trends regarding police conduct and make recommendations for improvements in policies, procedures and training to the San José Police Department.
ACLU-SCV is the local voice and community for ACLU members who live and work in the Santa Clara County cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos,
Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale CA. The local chapter operates under the auspices of the ACLU of Northern
California, a regional affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union.
7. The Return of IPA Roadshow - Last fall, Independent Police Auditor (IPA)
Judge LaDoris Cordell (Ret.) made a special effort to reach neighborhood groups throughout the City of San Jose
via an “IPA Roadshow.” Due to popular demand, the IPA will be making encore presentations in all ten City Council
Districts this fall. The presentations will include an overview of IPA services and a question and answer session
with the IPA. The dates of the individual presentations will be posted on this website as they become available.
For further information, please call Brenna Silbory at (408) 794-6226.
Click here to view the schedule of the IPA Roadshow in 2011.
8. Members of the IPA Teen Leadership Council were excited
to meet Mayor Reed on August 2, 2011 at City Hall. They were also happy to thank Mr. & Mrs. Castellano
of the Castellano Family Foundation for the generous donation of a $5,000 matching grant. If you would like to help us
meet the $5,000 match, please make a donation today. You may make your check payable to “City of San Jose – TLC” and mail
it to Vivian Do, IPA Office, 75 E. Santa Clara Street, Suite P-93, San Jose, CA 95113. Cash donations are also being accepted. The deadline to donate is November 1, 2011.
If you would like further information about the IPA Teen Leadership Council or the matching grant, please call Diane Doolan-Diaz at
(408) 794-6226.
9. Mercury News editorial: Cordell sets the gold standard for San Jose office of independent police auditor
Mercury News Editorial
Posted: 05/24/2011 08:00:00 PM PDT
Just more than a year ago, the selection of retired Judge LaDoris Cordell as San Jose's independent
police auditor shook up the troops -- not only in the police department, which had had a contentious
relationship with Cordell's predecessor, but also on the City Council, where support for her appointment
was not unanimous. Mayor Chuck Reed was one of the votes against hiring her.
It's hard to imagine that now. In a short time, Cordell has set the gold standard for this office,
raising the bar for professionalism, community outreach, transparency and innovation.
Click here to read the full article.
10. News Release - Independent Police Auditor Releases Report on Audits of
SJPD Complaints in 2010
The City of San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor (IPA), Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.), has
released the 2010 IPA Year End Report (Report)
Click here for a full notification of
“News Release”, and the
Report.
11. San Jose: Teens join police watchdog's new youth advisory group
By Sean Webby
swebby@mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/22/2011 02:45:25 PM PDT
If Jazmin Barba Iñiguez ever gets a chance to chat with San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore, she'd like
to tell him about the fear and intimidation that some kids her age feel from cops.
"I think the police are doing a pretty good job taking care of the city," the 15-year-old Presentation
High freshman said. "But I would like to see them be more involved with youth. I want people not to be scared
of the police. I see that a lot. I want them to be able to go up to a police officer and say, 'Good morning.'"
Click here to read the full article.
12. News Release - San José Independent Police Auditor Recruiting Teen Advisors
The City of San Jose’s Office of the Independent Police Auditor (IPA) is recruiting 15
young people to participate in an IPA Teen Leadership Council or IPA-TLC.
Click here for a full notification of
“News Release”, the
TLC Flier and
IPA-TLC Application.
13. CNN iReport: San Jose Independent Police Auditor
In February 2011, San Jose State University student and budding reporter Brandon Castillo interviewed
Judge LaDoris Cordell (Ret.) regarding her role as San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor. Judge Cordell spoke
with Mr. Castillo about biased-based policing, mediation, and the importance of youth outreach. The video
interview is currently available via iReport -- a user-generated section of CNN.com.
Please click
here
to view the video.
14. News Release - San José IPA and Mexican Consulate to Sign Memo of Understanding
The City of San José’s Independent Police Auditor (IPA), Judge LaDoris H. Cordell (Ret.) and the Consul General of Mexico in San José,
Honorable David Figueroa Ortega, signed a Memo of Understanding (MOU) regarding monthly IPA outreach at the Mexican Consulate in San José.
Click here for a full notification of
“News Release”, the
Memo of Understanding (MOU) and
photos of the event.
15. Upcoming next meeting of the IPA Advisory Committee (IPAAC) members
The next meeting of the IPA Advisory Committee (IPAAC) is Thursday, January 12, 2012, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Please note that
IPAAC meetings are not open to the public — the meetings are limited to IPAAC members and IPA staff.
16. News Release - Independent Police Auditor Selects Advisory Committee
San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor (IPA), Judge LaDoris Cordell (Ret.), has selected 22 individuals
to serve on the IPA Advisory Committee (IPAAC). The Judge began her term as San Jose’s IPA on May 17, 2010
and opened the IPAAC application process the following month. The purpose of the IPAAC is to promote community
awareness of the services offered by the IPA office and to inform the IPA office about police-related issues
and concerns that arise in San Jose.
Click here to read
the full notification of “News Release” on list of new members that have been selected to serve on the Independent Police Auditor Advisory Committee.
17. Investigated Cases & Officer
Discipline–a Cumulative 5-Year Period 2005-2009
The IPA office now provides, on an annual basis, a table disclosing the number and type of citizen-initiated
complaints and how many complaints were received about any one officer over a cumulative, five-year period.
Identifying information about any individual officer is not disclosed. The table reflects only data about
complaints filed by a member of the public in which the officer’s name is retained and tracked. The table
does not include data from internal investigations of potential officer misconduct initiated by the San Jose
Police Department.
Click here for an
Overview Cover Memo and
Detailed Table.
18. Opinion: Who will guard the guards? San Jose's independent police auditor
By LaDoris Cordell
Ind_Pol_Aud@sanjoseca.gov
Special to the Mercury News
Posted: 07/20/2010 12:01:00 AM PDT
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? This question, posed by the Roman poet Juvenal, translated literally,
means, "Who will guard the guards themselves?" This same question was pondered by the Greek philosopher
Plato, who concluded that the guards should guard themselves.
Fast forward to modern day, when his daughter Lisa asked Homer Simpson, "If you're the police,
who will police the police?" Homer's response was, "I don't know — the Coast Guard?" Not really. But in the
wake of events such as the videotaped beating of Rodney King in 1991, Plato's answer is also lacking, for
two reasons.
Click here to read the full article.
19. San Jose police auditor proposes new way to handle public complaints
By Sean Webby
swebby@mercurynews.com
Posted: 06/29/2010 10:22:38 PM PDT
Updated: 06/30/2010 11:09:52 AM PDT
Say a San Jose cop scolds you for jaywalking or berates you outside of a bar. You feel disrespected.
What do you do?
Independent Police Auditor LaDoris Cordell is proposing a plan that would offer a face-to-face meeting – handshakes, apologies all
around and perhaps a greater understanding between police and the public.
Click here to read the full article.
20. Investigation of Alleged Inappropriate Disclosures
Concluded – San Jose Independent Police Auditor to Make Findings Public
A June 10, 2010 San Jose Mercury News article reported that the former president of San Jose’s police officers union alleged that
he had received information from an unnamed employee of the IPA office concerning complaints about police officers. The matter, which
had been revealed to Judge Cordell on May 20, 2010 was immediately referred to San Jose’s City Attorney by Judge Cordell for
investigation. Judge Cordell has decided to release the investigator’s report to the public. The report and supporting exhibits are available here:
Outside Investigator’s Report of IPA Office and
Exhibits to Outside Investigator’s Report.
21. Commencing Thursday, May 27, 2010, San Jose’s newly-appointed Independent Police Auditor,
Judge LaDoris Cordell (retired), will publish her weekly calendar on the IPA website: www.sanjoseca.gov/ipa.
The calendar will be published prospectively in order to enable the public to view the IPA’s upcoming community
outreach activities and city events. In order to preserve the confidentiality of the police misconduct
complaint process, only non-complaint related matters will be posted on the calendar. Meetings with representatives
of public and private organizations will be included unless they are complaint-related.
22. A Students’ Guide to Police Practices (Guide)
has been revised and is available now. The goal of the Guide is to provide
youth with information to help them make smart decisions if they are stopped by the police.
Parents and teachers also find the Guide helpful. It contains basic information about legal rights,
common crimes that sometimes involve youth, and how to avoid becoming the victim of a crime. The
revised Guide contains new sections that discuss serious social issues facing youth today, such as:
gangs, hate crimes, internet safety, and dating abuse. A copy may be obtained by calling the IPA
office or by downloading it from our website. See “Youth Guide” (English, Spanish, Vietnamese).
23. We have not moved but our address has changed!
Same offices, same building, but the official address is now: 75 East Santa Clara Street, Suite P-93 (lower level), San José, CA 95113.
24. Community outreach & presentations are available.
The IPA Office conducts presentations to educate the community about the complaint process and the
role of the Independent Police Auditor. Youth presentations introducing the
“Student Guide to Police Practices”
inform youth about dealing with interactions with law enforcement. If your school, church, neighborhood association,
community group, organization, or agency is interested in such a presentation, please do not hesitate to
call us. For further information, contact Diane Doolan at (408) 794-6231.
25. The IPA Adopts the National Association for
Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) Code of Ethics (Code). At the 12th Annual
Conference in Boise in 2006, NACOLE adopted a Code of Ethics for practitioners of oversight
of law enforcement. Oversight agencies were asked to adopt the Code and abide by the standards.
The IPA is proud to be a part of this important step in the development of the civilian oversight
profession.
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