Voice of San Diego
Ashley McGlone
12/3/2020
A little-known internal board that reviews use-of-force incidents at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department – and claims that its dealings are shielded by attorney-client privilege – are being challenged in a federal lawsuit.
An obscure internal board dedicated to reviewing use-of-force incidents at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is getting new scrutiny in court. The department’s Critical Incident Review Board has been thrust to the center of a federal lawsuit brought by the family of a man with schizophrenia who died after an altercation with deputies at a county jail in 2018.
“He definitely needed help. But for some reason, the response was to use overwhelming physical force and beat him to death to get him help,” said Grace Jun, an attorney for the Silva family who has sued for wrongful death and alleges the county has unconstitutional practices and policies. “It was a confounding amount of force against someone they knew was severely mentally ill.”
“We are trying to protect the constitutional rights of every San Diego resident who makes contact with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department. … and to make sure those contacts are respectful of constitutional rights,” Jun said. “It’s an uphill battle, but it has to be done.”
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