Professional Standards Division
ADMINSTRATIVE SERGEANT
The Administrative Sergeant works under the direct supervision of the Professional Standards Division Lieutenant. Their primary responsibilities include purchasing and maintenance of department issued equipment, and managing all hiring, recruitment and retention. The Administrative Sergeant works daily with City Hall and other City staff to perform the above listed functions.
POWER GRANT
In 2023, the PPD received the prestigious "POWR Grant" in collaboration with UC San Diego, joining a select group of three other cities. This grant focuses on fostering a robust employee wellness program and aligns seamlessly with the department's Strategic Goal of Organizational Wellness. The grant's overarching goal is to institute a comprehensive wellness program that targets the enhancement of staff health and community engagement while simultaneously reducing workers' compensation claims, absenteeism, community-generated complaints, and bolstering staff morale. To achieve this, the grant will be utilized to procure professional services geared towards establishing preventative physical therapy, a strength and conditioning regimen, and mental health resiliency check-ins for
department personnel. The program's efficacy will be evaluated through a range of wellness metrics, encompassing an overall health profile and behavioral assessment.
TRAINING
The Petaluma Police Department is committed to organizational wellness and professional development. In 2022, the Petaluma Police Department achieved 100% compliance with the POST Perishable Skills Program (PSP) for all sworn officers and Continued Professional Training (CPT) for sworn officers and dispatchers. Additionally, the Department sent staff in all divisions to leadership development trainings and conducted a team building workshop for the leadership team. To ensure staff have the opportunity for professional development, the training coordinator developed a training plan for all staff (sworn and professional) to track POST required training, legislative mandated training, and core course work that is applicable to all positions and consistent with continued professional development.
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR
In May 2022, the City Council of Petaluma took a proactive step by directing the implementation of a hybrid model of civilian oversight, comprising three essential components: a Community Advisory Group, an Independent Police Auditor (IPA), and the pursuit of accreditation through the Commission
on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). This holistic approach aimed to ensure transparency, accountability, and professionalism within the city's law enforcement agencies. Building upon this framework, the City entered into a contract with IntegrAssure in 2023 to serve as the Independent Police Auditor (IPA). Throughout the year, the IPA collaborated closely with the Professional Standards Division, diligently reviewing 57 complaints and addressing
various policy matters and Internal Affairs investigations. Notably, the City saw a comparable number of civilian internal affairs complaints in 2023 compared to the previous five years, with two of the three complaints being exonerated and one not sustained. As the evaluation process continues, IntegrAssure is scheduled to present its findings from the year 1 report to the City Council in March 2024, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to enhance civilian oversight and accountability within Petaluma's law enforcement community.
ACCREDITATION - CALEA
The Professional Standards Division is one of our newly created divisions that is responsible for the oversight and compliance of the entire department. In our efforts for transparency and accountability, the Professional Standards Division is responsible for recruitment, retention, training, and oversight, which includes, but is not limited to employee training, Internal Affairs Investigations, Human Resources liaison, compliance management, employee conduct, coordination with the Independent Police Auditor, CALEA accreditation (pending), and equipment.