Hundreds of California law enforcement officers over the last decade have been convicted of crimes. Several are still working in San Diego and Imperial counties.
After California’s attorney general demanded reporters return a secret list of police officers convicted of crimes, Voice of San Diego joined dozens of newsrooms across the state to investigate the list instead. As part of that unprecedented effort, the partnership created a first-of-its kind searchable database of officer convictions.
All but five states decertify cops convicted of lesser offenses, including misdemeanors. California is one of the five that does not.
This summer, SDPD Chief Nisleit told reporters he was disappointed and embarrassed by the arrest of an SDPD officer. “Police officers should and must be held to a higher standard, both on-duty and off-duty,” he said.
VOSD has published a series of stories this week on the matter. One of the lead reporters, VOSD’s Jesse Marx, joined the podcast to talk about the findings of multiple investigations with hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby.
The interview with Marx starts at 17:10.
News of the Week
The Friends of SDSU group has begun running ads on social media asking followers to pressure the San Diego City Council to accept the university’s purchase offer for the stadium land in Mission Valley. The ads argue the university has done more than its part to get the deal done, including delivering new stadium renderings. Naturally, Lewis furnished a brief history of San Diego stadium renderings, now that this long, weird tournament has come to its end. (Cue the “in memoriam” music.)
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that will cap rent hikes in California. It’s set to kick in on Jan. 1. But in a case of unintended consequences, VOSD has heard from several tenants who say landlords are scrambling to evict them — or raise rates before the law is official next year.
State Assemblyman Todd Gloria is running for mayor of San Diego. And it’s hard to pick out anything that hasn’t gone his way, as he’s received all the contested endorsements and raised more money than his competitors. But there was one thing that hadn’t gone his way, a flash campaign finance scandal that was resolved last week with just a $200 fine over a paperwork snafu. Our hosts lay out what the error was and very cautiously scope out the mayor’s race as it stands right now.