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.
Public Safety
Vallejo tolerated officers’ mistakes. Then they killed again.
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The Vallejo Police Department’s flawed handling of fatal police shootings allowed six officers to use deadly force again before their first cases were decided. Experts say the department’s system “isn’t even basement standard practice” and needs oversight.
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.
Public Safety
Footage of Sean Monterrosa’s killing by police was ‘overwritten.’ Here is what we know about that night.
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As Vallejo moves to fire the detective who killed Monterrosa, newly-released records raise questions over officials’ handling of investigation.
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.
Public Safety
Detective on leave over Sean Monterrosa shooting
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An outside investigation found that Vallejo police Det. Jarrett Tonn violated department use of force policies in the 2020 killing, sources told Open Vallejo.
Surveillance
Vallejo police secretly tested ‘dystopian’ facial recognition tool
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Vallejo police tested a facial recognition system that is the subject of numerous lawsuits and government investigations, according to search data obtained by BuzzFeed News.
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.