August 2024 Use-of-Force Case Blocks

Amarik K. Singh OIG OFFICE of the Inspector General INSPECTOR GENERAL Neil Robertson Chief Deputy Inspector General August 2024 Use-of-Force Case Blocks Independent Published in October 2024 Prison Oversight As part of the Office of the Inspector General’s statutory authority, we monitor the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s performance and compliance with the use of force at its 33 prisons, parole operations, and Office of Correctional Safety. This document presents two notable use-of-force incidents that the Field Investigations Monitoring Unit closed during August 2024. Incident Number Incident Summary 24-00033-UOF On February 13, 2024, an incarcerated person in a restricted housing unit reported feeling suicidal. Officers responded to the incarcerated person’s cell and placed the incarcerated person in hand and leg restraints. Subsequently, when officers escorted Reason for Monitoring the incarcerated person from a mental health evaluation, one of the leg restraints fell off Potential Misconduct the incarcerated person. An officer bent over and attempted to resecure the leg restraint, and the incarcerated person then struck one of the officers, butting him with his shoulder. Three officers physically forced the incarcerated person to the ground where another officer successfully resecured the leg restraint. The officers completed the escort without further incident. Incident Disposition During our review of video footage, OIG staff identified potential staff misconduct. We identified that an officer contributed to the need to use force when he bent over in front of the incarcerated person to resecure a leg restraint, allowing the incarcerated person to strike the officer with his shoulder. An officer potentially used unnecessary or excessive force when he placed a knee on the incarcerated person’s head while the incarcerated person lay face down on a cement floor and was no longer resisting the officers. Finally, the OIG identified that following the use of force, another officer who had arrived on scene while the incarcerated person was held on the ground did not report the force he observed. The OIG recommended the hiring authority refer the incident for investigation. The hiring authority agreed to refer the matter of unnecessary or excessive force for the officer who placed a knee on the incarcerated person’s head. The hiring authority declined to address the other potential staff misconduct issue that the OIG identified in this incident. Incident Number Incident Summary 24-00034-UOF On January 9, 2024, an officer observed one incarcerated person strike a second incarcerated person in the face with his fist. The officer announced via his institutional radio that an assault had occurred and requested additional assistance. Nine officers and a sergeant responded, Reason for Monitoring and ordered both incarcerated people to submit to restraints. The first incarcerated person Potential Misconduct complied, while the second incarcerated person walked away from staff yelling, “I don’t need to cuff up, I didn’t do anything, leave me alone.” The sergeant pursued the second incarcerated person and reported he used force to grab her wrist to gain compliance of a lawful order. The incarcerated person attempted to pull away. The sergeant and an officer then used physical force to force her to the ground. Incident Disposition The hiring authority determined that the actions prior to, during, and following the use of force complied with policy. However, the OIG identified potential staff misconduct during the use of force because the sergeant had used immediate force when no imminent threat was present. The OIG recommended that the hiring authority refer the matter for investigation. The hiring authority declined to take any action. Page 1 of 1 10111 Old Placerville Road, Suite 110, Sacramento, California 95827 5 Telephone: (916) 288-4233 5 www.oig.ca.gov