San José’s Independent Police Auditor (IPA) recently presented its 2025 annual oversight report, highlighting a continued lack of access to police shooting scenes and an increase in complaints against officers and uses of force.
Interim Independent Police Auditor Dwight White stated in the report that his office is routinely "kept in the dark" regarding critical information immediately following police shootings. The auditor's office has stopped sending staff to investigation scenes after officers fire their weapons, as their presence provides no meaningful additional information under current city and police directives.
This exclusion from scenes means the IPA is not granted access to the location, nor to briefings or walkthroughs, leaving the office completely out of the immediate process. Mayor Matt Mahan, the full City Council, and Police Chief Paul Joseph previously rejected a recommendation from former auditor Eddie Aubrey to grant such access. They cited concerns about the integrity of police investigation scenes. Aubrey had noted that other major cities in the Bay Area and across California permit real-time observation for thorough independent oversight. White further stated that San José's practice leaves it "kind of lacking" compared to cities like San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and Long Beach, among others. Under current practice, White's office only receives a phone briefing from police officials. During the City Council meeting, Sean Allen, president of the San José/Silicon Valley NAACP, urged the council to reconsider, stating that the current arrangement "is not oversight."
In addition to the lack of scene access, White's office also reported frequent delays in receiving completed internal investigations concerning other instances where officers seriously injure someone. In some cases, these investigations were not provided until the auditor discovered and inquired about them. These delays and inconsistent information sharing hinder the auditor's ability to thoroughly review the circumstances leading to force, the actions of officers and subjects, and whether investigation conclusions are supported by evidence. The IPA's report recommends implementing a written policy requiring the San José Police Department (SJPD) to provide every completed investigation related to police seriously injuring or shooting someone within 30 days of the department's review. Police Chief Paul Joseph informed the council that the department recently adopted new digital software for internal affairs work, which has "sped up the processing of the information and the provision of that information to the IPA."
The 2025 annual report showed that police officers used force on people 598 times, marking an increase of about 5% over 2024. This represents the fourth consecutive annual increase in use of force incidents since a low in 2021.
Overall, officers received 499 complaints in 2025, which includes both complaints from community members and those initiated by the department. Of these, 326 were community-initiated complaints regarding officer conduct. This continues an upward trend from 263 such complaints in 2024 and a recent low of 224 in 2023. The report suggests this uptick "could reflect renewed public concern, increased willingness to report, or emerging challenges in police-community interactions."
In 2025, 370 officers—approximately 36% of active officers—received at least one complaint, an increase from 30% in 2024 and 27% in 2023. One officer led the department with seven separate complaints during 2025, with four other officers receiving five complaints and nine others receiving four. Officers with two to six years of experience showed the highest complaint rates, with over 50% of these officers receiving a complaint, compared to about 23% of officers with 11 to 15 years of experience.
The IPA’s office reviewed and closed cases in 2025 involving 942 separate allegations of police misconduct. About 11% of these allegations were sustained, indicating that some wrongdoing or misconduct occurred. The large majority, 74%, were characterized as "unfounded"—where evidence did not support the claim—or "exonerated," meaning the conduct likely happened but was found to be within policy.
The IPA's report also recommends that the department explicitly prohibit using profanity or disparaging language as a routine control tactic. The auditor's office reviewed four cases where officers repeatedly used profanity, particularly variations of "shut the fuck up," which they described as a "de-escalation" method to "shock," "snap," or reassert control. The report states that "Profanity and disparaging language should not be treated as legitimate control techniques, especially when they escalate tension or serve no clear operational purpose." A police department memo indicates that current policy already prohibits coarse, profane, or derogatory language, with a narrow exception for when it is necessary to establish control during a violent or dangerous situation. Chief Joseph told the council that a new policy is not needed, as officers can be and are disciplined for inappropriate foul language. He added that if an officer's use of profanity prevents the need for greater force, he would prefer that outcome. Chief Joseph also informed the council that many of the policy changes based on the recommendations are already being made and are expected to be complete by February.