The firm hired by the California Department of Justice to evaluate ongoing reforms in the Vallejo Police Department has released its near-term goals and expectations for the city.
Vallejo must implement 87 reforms, largely related to the department’s use of force and handling of personnel complaints, within the first year under an April settlement agreement with the California Department of Justice. Jensen Hughes, the consulting firm tasked with evaluating the settlement agreement, described the reforms as “within the goals and capability of VPD to achieve in Year One,” according to a work plan released online late last month.
Despite its October 2024 publication date, the work plan covers a period beginning this May and extending through June of next year. The plan focuses on reforms related to the use of force and personnel complaints, which the firm recognized as among the most challenging and important changes for law enforcement agencies to implement.
Vallejo police and Jensen Hughes will conduct an initial review of the department’s policies, practices, and training related to all “force instruments” used by officers, including dogs, according to the April settlement agreement. Following the review, Jensen Hughes will make recommendations and monitor the department’s compliance with the reforms. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.
The work plan requires the Vallejo Police Department to work with the Chief’s Advisory Board and the recently established Community Police Oversight and Accountability Commission to develop policies and strengthen community relationships. Under the year-one plan, Vallejo must fully launch the oversight commission, which appointed its first members in February following more than a decade of advocacy for its implementation. However, the commissioners have yet to convene, as the December 2022 ordinance establishing the commission imposes mandatory training that the city has yet to provide.
“The settlement agreement and associated annual work plans provide a comprehensive and clear roadmap for the City’s efforts,” Vallejo City Manager Andrew Murray said in an email statement Thursday. “The Vallejo Police Department has already begun work on year one work plan requirements and other items within the settlement agreement. We look forward to the continued collaboration and providing excellent public safety services to the community.”
The April settlement outlines long-term reform goals, including new policies and accountability measures related to bias-free policing, search and seizure, reviews of critical incidents such as shootings, mental health crisis response, and community policing. The Vallejo Police Department will designate a compliance coordinator to act as a liaison between the city, Jensen Hughes, and the DOJ for the agreement’s duration.
In June 2020, Vallejo and the state DOJ entered a three-year collaborative reform agreement prompted by the “number and nature” of the city’s police shootings. The parties also contracted with Jensen Hughes to help guide that process, which ended after the city failed to complete most of the 45 agreed-upon reforms.
Last October, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Vallejo and its police department in Solano County Superior Court alleging that Vallejo police engaged in a “pattern and practice of excessive and unreasonable force.” The lawsuit sought to impose a stipulated judgment on the agency, meaning a judge would have overseen the reform effort to ensure compliance.
The California DOJ dropped the lawsuit in April in favor of a settlement with the city that included a third-party evaluator to oversee the implementation of police reforms in Vallejo. The settlement terms are nearly identical to those of the stipulated judgment.
The Vallejo Police Department had completed 20 of the 45 reforms outlined in the 2020 collaborative reform agreement with the state DOJ by the time they signed the new settlement, according to the work plan.
The Vallejo Police Department continues to work on the remaining recommendations, which Jensen Hughes will review to ensure compliance, according to the work plan.
The work plan anticipates a five-year timeline to establish and evaluate reforms. Jensen Hughes has created a website to share progress with Vallejo residents and post annual reports. The settlement requires Vallejo police to announce these reports and host community forums for public feedback. The firm will also host two on-site community outreach events, with the first visit scheduled for January 2025, according to the work plan.
The work plan also addresses new use-of-force reforms relating to incidents where a member of the public is seriously injured or killed. This includes incidents where a use of force results in serious injury or death, those that occur during police chases, and other in-custody deaths. The settlement also requires the review of less-than-lethal weapons, firearms, handcuffing, and other defensive and de-escalation tactics used by the department.
Vallejo police are also required to conduct an annual audit, reviewing all civilian complaints, samples of body-worn camera footage, and samples of police reports related to use-of-force incidents, racial profiling, or situations where officers used or pointed firearms toward community members.
The Jensen Hughes plan describes the Vallejo Police Department as “eager” to implement reforms.
The California DOJ will have the final say over whether the Vallejo Police Department has complied with the terms of the April settlement agreement. According to the settlement, the DOJ can seek court enforcement of its provisions if Vallejo fails to fully comply.
The state DOJ said in an email Friday that the reforms imposed by the settlement will “protect the statutory and constitutional rights of the people of Vallejo.”
“Our office is continuing to work closely with all involved to ensure the agreement’s implementation, and DOJ retains the right to oversee and enforce the settlement, including by taking legal action to ensure compliance where necessary.”
