San Diego Audit Committee Meeting: July 27, 2022 – Body Camera Audit and Work Plan Approval
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San Diego Audit Committee Meeting: July 27, 2022
The Audit Committee of the San Diego City Council met on July 27, 2022, at 5:00 PM (UTC) to discuss the performance audit of the San Diego Police Department's body camera program, approve the City Auditor's FY23 work plan, and receive quarterly fraud hotline and monthly activity reports. The meeting was conducted virtually and in-person under California Government Code Section 54953. All items passed unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Committee Actions (June 15, 2022): The minutes of the previous meeting were approved unanimously (4-0, with Chair Whitburn also voting yes).
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: No public speakers appeared.
Discussion Items
- Performance Audit of SDPD Body Cameras (Item 1): The City Auditor presented findings from an extensive review of SDPD's use and management of body-worn cameras. Key findings: 40% of officers dispatched to incidents requiring recording had no video (over 243,000 instances); 29% of officers dispatched to calls ending in arrest lacked video; 41% for battery calls; 42% for assault with a deadly weapon. In a sample of 288 videos, 30% were started late and 38% stopped early. Recommendations included recording all dispatched calls, clarifying when recording ends, retaining accidental recordings for 60 days, and publishing a public release policy. Chief Nisleit thanked the auditors and agreed to implement all seven recommendations, subject to meet-and-confer obligations. Vice Chair Moreno moved to accept the report and forward it to the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee and then City Council; motion passed unanimously.
- City Auditor's FY23 Risk Assessment and Audit Work Plan (Item 2): The Auditor presented a risk-based work plan comprising 20 audits, including ongoing work (body cameras, 911 system, homeless services contracts, capital improvements) and new audits (hiring process, brush management/fire prevention, SDPD overtime, street maintenance equity, and re-reviews of past topics like pothole repair). Committee members expressed support: Vice Chair Moreno highlighted hiring and street maintenance; Committee Member Tab Shuri suggested an active shooter preparedness audit but noted it was deferred due to workload. The Auditor noted 2 vacancies and an aggressive plan. Motion to approve the work plan passed unanimously.
- Fraud Hotline Quarterly Report (Item 3): Senior Fraud Investigator Andy Harida reported 57 reports received in Q4 FY22; 27 assigned for investigation; 29 cases closed; 42 pending. Eight substantiated allegations included inappropriate social media posts, billing errors, remote work policy violations, and misuse of city assets. Report accepted as informational.
- City Auditor's Monthly Activity Report (Item 4): The Auditor summarized recent activity: three reports issued, four in report writing stage, two in fieldwork, two in planning. FY22 issued 15 reports with 67 recommendations. Also noted ongoing recommendation follow-up (200 open). Received as informational.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the FY23 Audit Work Plan (unanimous).
- Accepted the SDPD Body Camera Audit report and forwarded to Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee (unanimous).
- Received the Q4 FY22 Fraud Hotline Report and Monthly Activity Report as informational items.
- Next meeting: Scheduled for September 21, 2022, at 9:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Greetings everyone. Welcome to today's meeting of the audit committee. Thank you very much for being with us. Until further notice, committee meetings will be conducted personally to the provisions of California Government Code Section 54-953, added by Assembly Bill 361, which allows the city to use teleconferencing and to provide the public an opportunity to address the committee via a call-in option or an internet-based service option. While the public is allowed to attend the meetings in person, we encourage you to maintain six feet of social distance as well to follow California mask guidelines where masks are strongly recommended. In addition to being able to attend in person, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and the committee consultant will continue to assist for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar. Additionally, members of the public who wish to provide testimony via a call-in or internet-based services option must enter the virtual speaking queue within five minutes after the conclusion of in-person public testimony or before the virtual speaking queue is exhausted, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure that the council is able to manage and conduct city business. As we go forward, I'll go over the specifics on how to join the webinar and we'll give details on how people can offer public testimony. At this time, I'll call to order the audit committee meeting of Wednesday, July 27, 2022. And I will now call the roll. Present. Committee member Halpern. Present. Committee member Mafia. Present. And Committee Member Tap Shuri. Present. And I'm Stephen Whitburn, so we have a quorum. The committee is fortunate to have several attendees which will greatly attribu uh contribute to our efforts this morning. The Honorable Mara Elliott, the San Diego City Attorney. Andy Hannah, the city auditor, Christiana Gogger, the Chief Compliance Officer, and Lisa Byrne from the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst. Thanks to each of you for being here. If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it in the box indicated at the speaker's lectern at the front of the room. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link which is listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. To join the Zoom webinar by telephone, you may dial either 1669-254-5252 or 1646-828-7666. And when prompted, input webinar ID 161-042-537 pound. And that information is also available in the agenda. Or you may view the meeting online by going to the City Council Committee homepage at San Diego.gov and selecting the City TV Live Webcast blue button on the right hand side of the page. Please note that if you're watching via City TV or online, there may be a delay. Please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak. Thanks to our City TV staff for broadcasting this meeting. If you're in person, please come up to the reserve seats at the front of the room when your name is called and be prepared to come up to the lectern in the order called. If you join the webinar electronically, you will receive a pop-up notice to select to unmute your device. If you've called into the meeting by cell phone or a landline, press star six on your phone to unmute yourself. Please wait until the item you wish to speak to has been called before raising your hand to speak. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. When I introduce the item you'd like to comment on, please raise your hand by either tapping the raise your hand button on your device or by pressing star nine on your phone. When our committee consultant Juan Carlos Leva indicates that it's your turn to speak, he will call you by your name or he will read out the last four digits of your phone number. At that time, please unmute your phone by tapping the unmute button on your device or by pressing star six on your phone. Also, please mute the volume on your TV or computer before you begin to speak. Well, at long last, we will now take up the approval of the committee actions of June 15th, 2022. Juan Carlos, please proceed with public comment. Thank you, Chair. Good morning. The public coming period for this item is now open. If you are in person, please be sure to have your speaker slip submitted and come up to the reserve seats at the front of the room when your name is called and be prepared to come up to the lectern in the order called. Chair Whitburn, at this point, we don't have any public uh speakers. Thank you, Juan Carlos.
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