For Immediate Release
The City of San Rafael’s elected City Attorney, Rob Epstein, addressed the
audience at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, following hours of public
comment from community members expressing their concerns about a recent
police use of force incident. During his remarks, which you view at the link
below, Epstein made clear that the City is committed to conducting an
independent investigation of this matter.
City Attorney Video link here.
Mr. Epstein announced today that the City of San Rafael has retained the
services of Paul Henry of Independent Investigative Consultants (IIC) to conduct
the independent investigation. Mr. Henry brings the experience of 27 years as a
Santa Rosa police officer, a role from which he retired as a lieutenant. During
the course of his career to date, Mr. Henry has conducted more than 150
internal affairs investigations and reviews of law enforcement officer conduct,
including officer-involved shooting cases, use of force investigations, in-custody
death cases, and more. Mr. Henry will carefully review all relevant evidence and
conduct detailed interviews of witnesses, including all involved City employees.
At the conclusion of his investigation, Mr. Henry will prepare a comprehensive
written report with findings as to whether the involved officers followed, or failed
to follow, the policies of the San Rafael Police Department.
The City Attorney’s office has also retained the specialized public employment
law services of Burke Williams & Sorensen to help provide oversight of the
process, to ensure all laws are followed, and that the investigation is lawful and
proper, every step of the way.
Mayor Kate Colin said “We’re eager to begin this process. There will be an indepth
and thorough independent investigation into this incident. The
investigators’ findings will inform the disciplinary process and hold those
accountable for any wrongdoing.”
Contact:
Rob Epstein
City Attorney
415-485-3080
Rob.Epstein@cityofsanrafael.org