Accountability

The Palo Alto Police Department has had an Independent Police Auditor (IPA) since 2006.  The IPA is an independent, third-party contractor (currently the OIR Group) who conducts audits of investigations of:

• complaints by members of the public
• internal affairs investigations
• use of force investigations where a baton, chemical agent, TASER, less-lethal projectile, canine or firearm is used; and any other use of force investigation where a subject’s injuries require treatment beyond minor medical care in the field
• incidents where an officer points a firearm at a person
• supervisory inquiry reports (complaints that are sufficiently investigated and resolved through expedited review)
• City investigations of uniformed officers arising from employee complaints of discrimination, harassment or retaliation by a uniformed officer.

The IPA’s audits are designed to ensure that the Department’s investigations are conducted thoroughly and objectively.   You are welcome to review the IPA's contract(PDF, 767KB), including its full scope of services as revised in July 2021(PDF, 367KB).

After reviewing these administrative reports and any associated police reports and evidence, the IPA generates its own report, which includes recommendations to the Chief of Police regarding further investigation, processes, and dispositions. That report is provided to the City Council and published as a public document for our community to review.

No other police department in the region has this degree of transparency with their internal investigations.

Learn more about the IPA and view all of the IPA public reports dating back to 2006 by visiting our Independent Police Auditor page.

We are the only municipal law enforcement agency in Santa Clara County with an unencrypted radio frequency, which gives our community and the media real-time access to police radio transmissions.

For more information about our decision to give this access to our community, see the news release we distributed in August 2022.

The Palo Alto Police Department publishes our Policy Manual on our website for public review. It is a document of more than 700 pages in length. We welcome you to review our policies regarding use of force, control devices and techniques, conducted energy weapons (TASERs), standards of conduct, racial- and bias-based profiling, field-based video (e.g. body-worn cameras), automated license plate readers, interaction with federal immigration officials, and many, many more.

We update our Policy Manual on a quarterly basis.  Visit our Police Policy Manual page to view the most recent version.

In September 2018, the Department equipped all of our officers with body-worn cameras.  These cameras record high-resolution video and high-quality audio to capture an independent perspective of what our officers experience and do. They integrate seamlessly with our in-car mobile audio/video (MAV) system (see below). We require our officers to make every reasonable effort to activate the body-worn cameras during all law enforcement contacts with the public. While the cameras can be manually activated, they are also automatically activated by certain triggering events, such as turning on the patrol car’s emergency lights or siren.  Officers do not have the ability to delete any recording.

Body-worn cameras produce an independent record of what occurred during an interaction between an officer and the public. The recordings can be used in court, as well as in administrative investigations into allegations of officer misconduct.

If you would like more information about body-worn cameras, visit our Police Policy Manual page and read Policy §446.

Every patrol car in our fleet has been equipped with an in-car mobile audio/video (MAV) system for more than a decade. Our current system is the most robust one of any municipal or county law enforcement agency in our region, with each car having five high-resolution video cameras that cover approximately 270 degrees around the car, as well as audio microphones inside the vehicle. It integrates seamlessly with the body-worn cameras worn by all of our officers. In 2019 alone, we recorded approximately 30,000 hours of video. While the system can be manually activated, it is also automatically activated by certain triggering events, such as turning on the patrol car’s emergency lights or siren. Officers do not have the ability to delete any recording.

Our MAV system produces an independent record of what occurred during an interaction between an officer and the public.  The recordings can be used in court, as well as in administrative investigations into allegations of officer misconduct.

If you would like more information about our MAV system, visit our Police Policy Manual page and read Policy §446.

The Department recognizes and respects the value of all human life and dignity without prejudice to anyone.  Vesting officers with the authority to use reasonable force and to protect the public welfare requires monitoring, evaluation and a careful balancing of all interests.

The use of force by law enforcement personnel is a matter of critical concern, both to the public and to the law enforcement community. Officers are involved on a daily basis in numerous and varied interactions and, when warranted, may use reasonable force in carrying out their duties. Officers must have an understanding of, and true appreciation for, their authority and limitations. This is especially true with respect to overcoming resistance while engaged in the performance of law enforcement duties.

A detailed investigation is conducted by a supervisor any time an officer uses force in the performance of their duties, and officers are required to provide medical aid or summon medical assistance to anyone who is visibly injured or claims to be injured as a result of what occurred. The supervisor’s investigation includes interviewing all associated parties (which minimally includes involved officers, the party upon whom force was used, and any witnesses), a search for evidence (which includes body-worn camera footage, mobile audio/video system footage, surveillance camera footage, etc.), taking photographs of any injuries to any associated party, and an analysis and assessment of whether the conduct of the involved officer(s) was objectively reasonable under the circumstances. 

If you would like more information about the Department's use of force reporting, visit our Police Policy Manual page, navigate to Policy §300: Use of Force, and review subsection §300.5: Reporting the Use of Force.

Beginning in 2023, the Department releases the race of the recipients of any force used, as well as the race of any person at whom an officer points a firearm. That information is contained in the documents found on our Independent Police Auditor page.

High Standard and Commitment in Police Training: Our Department is committed to providing a high level of police officer training. This includes requiring an average of 60% more hours of training annually than California’s state-mandated training standards.

De-Escalation, Implicit Bias, and Crisis Intervention Training: All of our officers are trained in de-escalation, implicit bias and crisis intervention, which assists officers in de-escalating conflicts and reducing the need for use of force.

Discrimination & Cultural Diversity Training: All of our officers are trained in discrimination and cultural diversity, with regular updates that meet or exceed California state-mandated training standards.