The leader of San Diego’s civilian police oversight board announced his resignation last week — just six months after taking the job.
The city hired Paul Parker as executive director of the Commission on Police Practices in June. He has a background in law enforcement and for over three years led the San Diego County Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board.
Parker’s last day as executive director will be Jan. 3. His departure is the latest setback for the Commission on Police Practices, after years of struggling to meet its expanded oversight mandate.
In 2020, San Diego voters overwhelmingly approved a plan to bolster police oversight in the city. Realizing that vision, however, may still be years away.
In an interview, Parker commended the commission for fostering important conversations in the community.
"I do believe that the commission does a great job in creating an environment for community members to be able to say what's on their mind, to be able to bring forward what's concerning them," he said.
The commission recently held meetings to discuss the police department’s pursuit and K-9 policies.
But Parker believes "there are some administrative challenges" that prevent the commission from getting things done efficiently. For one thing, he said, the 25-member board is too big and "unwieldy."
"With that many people, it's very difficult to have very thorough discussions," he said. "I think it should be probably no more than 15."
When San Diego voters approved Measure B four years ago, the initiative granted the oversight body expanded powers. That included the ability to launch independent investigations into alleged police misconduct and subpoena witnesses.
But it took years for the City Council to appoint members to the re-envisioned commission. Meanwhile, community oversight of the police essentially ground to a halt, as KPBS previously reported.
Four years after Measure B passed, the commission has yet to launch an independent investigation.
Parker believes it’s still a ways off.
"It's going to take a couple of years to be able to do that, to get that full power," he said. "And I know that's frustrating for the community. It's frustrating for the commissioners."
Commission chairperson Gloria Tran declined an interview request.
"The Commission on Police Practices is disappointed about the resignation of Executive Director Paul Parker, but we respect his decision," she said in a statement. "We appreciate all his hard work to help build the foundation of this new Commission.”
Parker said he will soon start a new position with NAAG Forensic, a local company that handles death investigations for county coroners around the state.
