Inspector General

Agency City of Sacramento

LOCATION Sacramento, CA

FILING DEADLINE

SALARY RANGE $87,570.22 - $131,355.34

About Sacramento

The City of Sacramento, with a population of approximately 500,000 residents, is the capital city of California, county seat for Sacramento County, central city for the four-county Sacramento Metropolitan Area, and the state’s sixth-largest city.  Sacramento is one of the fastest growing major cities in California and has a rich and vibrant history going back to when it was first settled in 1839 and became a charter city in 1850. Located on the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, it is the birthplace of the Gold Rush and transcontinental railroad. The city grew in popularity around the time of California’s Gold Rush, and because of its convenient location to the rest of the state, it became a hub for transportation, agriculture, and community. Sacramento has many historical sites and attractions for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Sacramento is quickly becoming a hot spot for urban nightlife and hosts an arts scene that rivals other cities with exceptional cultural, artistic, and leisure opportunities that enrich the quality of life, contributing to the lively and active metropolitan region.  There are many lifestyle amenities to revel in from museums, arts and culture including a busy film industry, to an annual international film festival, the Sacramento Zoo, concerts in the park, and a plethora of restaurants and shops.  The Sacramento Convention Center expansion project is underway and will include remodeled and new attractive facilities, with an opening planned for 2021.  The Golden 1 Center, situated in the heart of downtown Sacramento, is one of the newest professional sports and events arenas in the country, hosting hundreds of events annually, and is home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.  As part of an exciting downtown redevelopment project, Sacramento’s professional soccer team, Republic FC, plans to construct the 21,000 seat MLS Railyards Stadium.  For outdoor enthusiasts, guided river rafting; biking, walking, or running along the American River Trail; over 200 parks and parkways; golf; and many more attractions and activities are available.  There is something for everyone!

Sacramento is also known for its diversity and the City has committed itself to building a more representative, equitable, and inclusive organization through its Office of Diversity & Equity.  Sacramento residents are a diverse population with a community of individuals from many walks of life.  The City is actively engaged in developing a Citywide Race & Gender Equity Action Strategic Plan and prides itself in leading efforts to help create a more diverse workforce and a more inclusive City.

The Office

In 1999, the Mayor and City Council established The Office of Police Accountability for the purpose of monitoring the investigations of community complaints.  In July 2004, the City Manager, with Mayor and City Council approval, increased the Office’s responsibilities to include the Sacramento Fire Department.  The Office was renamed to its current title of the Office of Public Safety Accountability (OPSA).  The core mission of the OPSA is to improve the relationship between the City’s public safety departments and the community they protect and serve.  The Office endeavors to promote trust, excellence, transparency, and accountability through independent and impartial oversight of complaints related to public safety and employee misconduct.

The OPSA has broad oversight authority to evaluate the overall quality of employee performance and the authority to encourage systemic change. The Office specifically tracks and monitors high profile or serious complaint cases to conclusion, reviews completed investigations, and advises the Chief of Police or the Fire Chief of any deficient investigations. The OPSA is under the direction, control, and supervision of the Mayor and City Council.

The Position

The City’s Office of Public Safety Accountability seeks a skilled and experienced investigator for its newly established Inspector General position.  The position serves as a liaison to elected and appointed officials, police and criminal justice stakeholders, community organizations, and the public on highly sensitive police and fire accountability and oversight matters.  Under the general direction of the Director of the Office of Public Safety Accountability, the Inspector General will conduct and report on special investigative assignments and independent investigations of a confidential and highly sensitive nature related to serious use of force incidents, incidents involving serious bodily injury or death, and in-custody death incidents. 

Through communication with the public at large, the Inspector General will demonstrate the transparency and accountability of the Office of Public Safety Accountability.

The Inspector General is an advanced journey level exempt classification which provides direct and indirect supervision of management, professional, and support staff, and collaborates with senior executives, staff, and diverse groups and individuals to achieve the OPSA’s goals.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have an infallible track record of the highest degree of integrity, professionalism, sound judgement, and political acumen and savvy. They will be an excellent communicator who can remain objective, think quickly and respond appropriately, and be able to effectively handle very stressful and sensitive circumstances, with tact and diplomacy, including public scrutiny and criticism. 

The Inspector General will have broad powers and a responsibility to independently investigate officer involved shootings, police use of force that results in death or serious bodily injury, and in-custody deaths.  Upon completion of the Inspector General’s independent investigation, their respective findings and conclusions will be reported to the Sacramento Mayor and City Council, the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission, and the public.

Professional experience will include government oversight as well as investigating major cases relating to law enforcement or inquiries pertaining to field and administrative operations, policies, and practices for effective constitutional policing and community-police relations.  Law, research, policy, or advocacy experience related to policing and community-police relations from a legal, criminal justice, or civil rights perspective is essential, as is experience in the administrative review of use of force incidents by police officers.  While the position is not a practicing attorney, prior experience as a practicing attorney is strongly desired. Candidates should have knowledge of the principles of administration of discipline in policing organizations, as well as current trends and issues affecting policing.  Effective leadership and sound supervisory skills and experience are also important.

This position requires compassion and empathy, and qualified candidates will show sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, orientations, and beliefs.  The ideal candidate will also demonstrate awareness and consciousness of diversity, inclusion, and equity challenges across communities. Experience in community relations and outreach with the ability to build strong, yet independent working relationships internally and externally with diverse constituents and community representatives is necessary for success in this position.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified applicants will have five (5) years of highly responsible, full-time paid professional experience in: (a) governmental oversight, (b) governmental auditing or investigations, or (c) prior legal experience in the areas of ethics, criminal, civil rights, or labor/employment law. Substantial involvement with law enforcement issues as well as two years of supervisory experience is desirable.

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, public or business administration, or a related field is required. A graduate degree in a relevant field is desirable.Graduation from an accredited law school is preferred.

Essential Duties

  • Conduct independent investigations of serious use of force, any incident involving serious bodily injury or death incidents, and in-custody deaths in accordance with SB 1421 categories.
  • Participate in and formulate recommendations regarding the investigation and adjudication of serious use of force incidents.
  • Plan, coordinate, and conduct thorough interviews with public safety employees and witnesses to gather evidence with a focus on rigorous fact-finding, fairness, timeliness, and attention to detail; effectively coordinate with relevant City public safety divisions for follow-up.
  • Interview complainants and witnesses regarding allegations of misconduct by public safety personnel; forward investigative information to the Internal Affairs Division of the public safety department in question for follow-up.
  • Inspect, review, and research all aspects of the police and fire department’s operations regarding employee misconduct.
  • Serve in an on-call capacity for response to use of force incidents and analysis of use of force complaints resulting in policy recommendations.
  • Oversee administrative review of use of force incidents.
  • Supervise, train, and evaluate the work of professional and support staff.
  • Oversee and direct inspections, audits, evaluations, and reviews of operations, policies, and procedures of the police and fire departments to increase public safety, promote constitutional policing practices that safeguard individual civil liberties, and increase the public’s confidence in the public safety organizations.
  • Conduct systematic reviews of police and fire disciplinary processes to ensure fairness and equity.
  • Make appropriate recommendations to the Director and other City departments and agencies relating to police and police accountability operations, policies, programs, and practices.
  • Issue written reports of inspection, evaluation, and review findings and recommendations, as well as an annual report that summarizes inquiries conducted and recommendations adopted during the prior calendar year.  All reports shall present factual data accurately, fairly, and objectively.
  • Serve as a liaison for the office on police and police accountability oversight matters with elected and appointed officials, police and criminal justice stakeholders, community organizations, and the public.


Compensation and Benefits

Salary: $87,570.22 – $131,355.34 Annually

CalPERS Retirement
2% @ 55 plan for qualified “classic” employees as defined by CalPERS; new members to PERS participate in a formula of 2% @ 62

Money Purchase Plan
401(a) money purchase plan

457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Flexible Spending Account

Holidays
13 paid holidays annually plus floating holiday time (16 hours annually) SICK LEAVE. 12 days annually

Vacation Leave
Minimum of 10 days per year, based on years of service

Management Leave
80 hours annually

Health Insurance
Monthly City contribution towards health insurance

Life Insurance
$50,000 basic life insurance

Auto Allowance
$250 per month

Technology Allowance
$100 per month

Employee Assistance Program

Workers’ Compensation
Covered by City’s self-insured program

Social Security and Medicare
City and employee contribution

To Apply

The deadline to apply for this position is FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18th.

Panel interviews are tentatively planned to be scheduled the week of January 11, 2021.

To apply please visit:

https://koffassociates.com/category/opportunities/

Please submit, in PDF format, a cover letter and resume combined.

As an alternative, you can mail your cover letter, employment application form, and resume to this address:

Koff & Associates

2835 Seventh Street

Berkeley, CA 94710

The City of Sacramento is an equal opportunity employer encouraging workforce diversity.

Koff & Associates