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San Jose launches site for searching police records

A screenshot from the City of San Jose's Independent Police Auditor's Senate Bill 1421 Public Records Portal
According to the website: "This first version of the site was created by a team of five Mayor's Office of Technology and Innovation fellows in partnership with CodeX - The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics & the Independent Police Auditor in the summer of 2021. The Deputy Chief Innovation Officer served as project manager until the tool's launch in 2022."
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The City of San Jose
A screenshot taken of the City of San Jose's Independent Police Auditors's Senate Bill 1421 Public Records Portal. The screenshot was taken on December 6, five days after the searchable database launched.

It’s been four years since former Governor Jerry Brown signed California Senate Bill 1421, which requires police departments and agencies to make public records relating to certain instances of police misconduct.

It’s been one year since current Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 16, which expands public access to more records.

But implementing those bills in a meaningful way remains a work in progress for many California municipalities. Recent steps taken in the Bay Area reveal some of the issues that remain.

San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor, or IPA, created a searchable database for its records concerning complaints and investigations into police misconduct.

While this site, which launched last Friday, is free and open to the public, a disclaimer at the bottom of the portal’s front page reads: “The IPA is not the custodian of all records related to an officer misconduct case.”

For items such as body cam footage, site visitors are directed to the Public Records Center of the San Jose Police Department, where they can peruse previously released records and make additional requests.

Andrew is a scientist and communicator who wants to make scientific research accessible to everyone and to ensure that science is discussed accurately and responsibly.