San Diego Police Department labels roughly 80% of misconduct complaints as 'miscellaneous' to keep them from independent review, prompting a lawsuit alleging the practice violates voter-approved Measure B
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In 2025, San Diego Police Department classified 481 of 723 complaints received by the civilian Commission on Police Practices (CPP) as 'miscellaneous' — a category the CPP cannot substantively review — according to CPP Executive Director Roger Smith, who said the commission can review fewer than one in seven complaints. Advocacy group Pillars of the Community and activist Tasha Williamson sued SDPD and the City of San Diego in June 2026, alleging the practice violates Measure B, the 2020 ballot measure creating civilian police oversight, and citing a January 2026 case in which SDPD allegedly withheld from the CPP a complaint about officers' use of force and detention of minors. SDPD spokesperson Lyndsay Winkley said 'miscellaneous' covers complaints lacking an identified officer, department-wide policy issues, withdrawn complaints, or those deemed frivolous, and that expanding CPP access requires a meet-and-confer process with the police union; Chief Scott Wahl agreed in August 2025 to provide explanatory memos for miscellaneous complaints, but none had been produced as of the lawsuit.
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