San Diego police chief promises direct reports on ICE scenes

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl will submit written reports to the City Council for every interaction between local officers and federal immigration agents. The commitment appears in a memo dated October 30, issued the day after Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera criticized the department for keeping details of these encounters private. The two officials disagree on how to interpret the city's Due Process and Safety Ordinance, a rule adopted last year to limit police cooperation with federal agents during the current administration's immigration crackdown.

The ordinance mandates that the police chief send written reports to the council within three business days of any scene where federal agents conduct immigration enforcement. Since the rule took effect in May, San Diego Police Department officers have responded to scenes where federal agents were present but not making arrests. Wahl's memo clarifies that these specific incidents fall outside the legal requirements of the ordinance. However, the department will voluntarily report them to the mayor and City Council going forward to ensure elected officials have timely information.

Wahl stated that the goal is to allow council members to answer constituent questions with a clear understanding of the police role. "Our goal is to ensure that elected officials have timely information about SDPD's involvement and can respond to questions from their constituents with a clear understanding of its role," Wahl said. Elo-Rivera released a statement on Thursday detailing four specific incidents involving the police and federal agents. He noted that the department had sent these details to his office via text message, but the public had not seen the information.

One of the incidents occurred on July 23 near Fairmount Avenue, involving a broken-down vehicle from Homeland Security Investigations. A crowd of about 30 people gathered to protest, and someone broke the vehicle's windows. Approximately 15 San Diego Police Department officers responded to manage the scene and prevent further vandalism. Spokesperson Ashley Bailey explained that this event did not trigger the ordinance because the agents were not actively conducting immigration enforcement at the time.

Bailey added that the department has been open to modifying how it fulfills the ordinance's requirements. She stated that the police have provided all required notifications to the council, plus additional updates for incidents that are not legally mandated. Elo-Rivera argued that the public often assumes the police and federal agents are working together when they see them on the same street. He believes that promptly sharing details with the public, not just the council, will help correct misinformation and build trust in the police.

Elo-Rivera emphasized the link between transparency and public safety. "I don't think we can have safety without trust, and trust requires transparency," he said. He noted that the public has not received communication about the circumstances under which police showed up, their actions on the scene, or the duration of their presence.