Just weeks after long-running issues with the San Diego Police Department’s complaint portal came to light in a
Times of San Diego news report
, major improvements have been made to the online system.
The problems were uncovered in a one-year effort by
Armando Flores
, a member of the San Diego
Commission on Police Practices
. His expertise with computer software aided him in his research.
After the Times story was published on June 30, Flores reached out to various stakeholders involved in police misconduct issues, including the office of Chief Scott Wahl, where Community Liaison Manager Lyndsay Winkley “let me know they were looking at this a week after the Times story. They found this to be serious.”
Lt. Travis Easter with the SDPD Media Relations Unit confirmed the changes happened quickly. “The upgrade was completed last week,” he said. “We do have an IT Department and they were very instrumental in getting this done. “
The
SDPD complaint portal
now addresses key issues pointed out by Flores in the original Times of San Diego article.
Flores uncovered a laundry list of problems, beginning with limits on the amount of evidence that could be uploaded, affecting both videos and documents. He found that “if there’s not enough evidence submitted initially, these cases can be lumped into a miscellaneous file and not followed up.”
The portal also had incorrect information about how to contact the commission, inoperable links that were supposed to provide more information on filing a complaint, and it didn’t work with smartphones — the most common communication device in use.
Flores, who is 35, expressed surprise at the smartphone limitation. “Not being able to submit evidence if you don’t have a desktop? That shouldn’t be the case in 2025,” he said.
The SDPD portal was also limited in its ability to handle complaints in languages other than English or Spanish — a big problem in San Diego with over 100 languages spoken by residents.
The conclusion of Flores’ research showed the website had “deficiencies regarding functionality and accessibility” that “disproportionately affect San Diegans who don’t have access to a desktop, don’t speak English, or have sensory, mobility and cognitive impairments.” He added that “it wasn’t accessible to the majority of people that would typically rely on it,” raising a major issue of fairness.
“The quick turnaround by SDPD says to me they heard what we said, and they agreed with it fully. They put their resources to change it and I appreciate that,” Flores said.
There is now accessible and detailed information for anyone entering the portal who might consider filing a complaint. Links to more information are now operational and the commission’s contact information has been corrected. Flores was pleasantly surprised “they even added the government code section about alleged allegations of misconduct.”
There are no more character limits, and now there are specific fields for multiple officers, witness information, and a timeline so the information is much easier to review. Additionally, large files can be emailed, “and they will get back to you to send as many files as you need,” said Flories, adding “it’s going to impact so many other people.”
He said the portal now provides “every language that
Google Translate
offers…So that’s pretty exciting.”
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Possibly the most impactful upgrade is the ability for citizens to submit a complaint by smartphone. “This is huge,” said Flores. “I posted the Times story on Nextdoor recently because I was having conversations with multiple communities on this topic. And one response said in effect ‘My grandma was unable to file a complaint because she doesn’t have a desktop. She wouldn’t be able to do this.’ That’s exactly why this is important.”
He believes his effort demonstrates why the oversight of the Commission of Police Practices is needed. These improvements may not have happened if not for “the commission and the diverse voices and the diverse perspectives that they bring.”
The Times of San Diego article “helped amplify these voices,” he said, helping expose the findings to the community.
The Police Department is also pleased with the result. “It’s important to hear from our community members to know if something has occurred or if they have a concern,” said Easter. “Their voice gives us an opportunity to recognize something that we may not have been previously aware of and opens up the avenue to better address something.”
Flores said he believes improved communication between the public and the department will help build trust within the community. “This is how you ensure accountability when that portal is accessible to everyone.” he said. “That’s really when accountability can begin.”
