Public Safety
Vallejo patrol staffing drops below 1975 levels
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Half a century ago, Vallejo had twice as many patrol officers per resident as it does today.
Privacy
Vallejo police to weaken drone policy amid potential violations
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Vallejo Police Department policy requires written authorization before officers launch drones. When an Open Vallejo investigation found no evidence that the rule was being followed, the department decided to change it.
City Hall
Vallejo’s waterfront is for community, not cops
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Vallejo police need better facilities and deserve safe working conditions, write Andrea Sorce and Anne Carr, but a waterfront headquarters at 400 Mare Island Way is not the answer.
Ethics
Claim alleges false testimony by Vallejo police chief
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Former Lt. Herman Robinson, Vallejo’s longest-serving police officer, accused Chief Shawny Williams of making false statements under oath as Williams sought to fire him, records obtained by Open Vallejo show.
Andrew Bidou
Fired Vallejo employees sue, alleging retaliation and threats
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Three former City of Vallejo employees allege in a new lawsuit that they were fired after raising concerns about Vallejo City Manager Greg Nyhoff. They contend their experience is part of a larger pattern of retaliation against whistleblowers.
City Hall
Vallejo scraps Mare Island development guarantees, to sell off public land
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The Vallejo City Council unanimously approved sweeping changes to the multi-billion-dollar plan to redevelop Mare Island Tuesday night — all of them favorable to the developer at the expense of the city.
City Hall
City manager weakened Mare Island deal after undisclosed meetings with developers
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Vallejo City Manager Greg Nyhoff met with a Tennessee-based developer without telling key staff or the City Council. When the city’s negotiation team raised concerns, he fired them.
Ethics
‘Domestic violence bordering on torture’: records reveal years of allegations against Vallejo councilmember
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At least five women have accused Brown of physical violence over the past two decades, an Open Vallejo investigation has found.
Brittany K. Jackson
Police union alleges hiring of civilian spokesperson ‘unlawful’
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Vallejo Police Department spokesperson Brittany K. Jackson participates in a policing “virtual town hall” on July 23, 2020 in Vallejo. Vallejo’s police union filed an unfair labor complaint in June alleging the city unlawfully hired a civilian to act as the department spokesperson, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Open Vallejo.
The Vallejo Police Officers’ Association filed the unfair labor charges with the California Public Employment Relations Board, accusing city officials of acting in bad faith when they hired Brittany K. Jackson as the department’s new public information officer in May. The spokesperson role has historically been held by a sworn member of the department. But officers have exacerbated existing controversies over the years, most notably in 2015, when Lieutenant Kenny Park falsely suggested the victim of a kidnapping and sexual assault had staged the crime along with her fiancé. The FBI later arrested Matthew Muller, a disbarred attorney and former Marine, who was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.
Open Data
Open Vallejo releases critical incident database to public
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We spent a year building a database of generational police violence in Vallejo. Today we are making it public.