Independent institutions that check this jurisdiction's own power — audit, ombudsman, inspector general, civilian review, ethics, and grand-jury bodies established by statute.
The California State Auditor is appointed by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and confirmed by majority vote of both houses to a four-year term. CSA audits state agencies, local agencies...
Read scorecard → 02 AuditThe BSCC (Cal. Penal Code §§6024–6031), established in 2012 as successor to the Corrections Standards Authority, independently sets minimum standards for local jails and juvenile detention...
Read scorecard → 03 Grand JuryCalifornia's civil grand jury system is established by Penal Code §§ 888-925.5 and operates independently in all 58 counties. Each county empanels a 19-member civil grand jury annually...
Read scorecard → 04 Inspector GeneralThe California Inspector General is appointed by the Governor with Senate confirmation to a six-year term and oversees the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The...
Read scorecard → 05 Inspector GeneralUnder AB 1506 (Cal. Gov. Code §12525.3, effective July 1, 2021), the California Attorney General must investigate all officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian. The...
Read scorecard → 06 Ethics CommissionThe California FPPC was created by the Political Reform Act of 1974 (Proposition 9) and enforces campaign finance, lobbying, and conflict-of- interest laws for all state and local officials. It...
Read scorecard → 07 Civilian ReviewThe RIPA Board (Cal. Penal Code §13519.4) is established by the Attorney General to advise on racial and identity profiling. It analyzes annual stop-data reported by law enforcement agencies,...
Read scorecard → 08 Civilian ReviewThe POST Commission (Cal. Penal Code §13500–13510.8) sets minimum recruitment and training standards for all California peace officers and, since SB 2 (2021), holds binding authority to revoke,...
Read scorecard →California's state-level law-enforcement oversight relies on four distinct mechanisms: the POST Commission (Pen. Code §13500–13510.8) decertifies officers for serious misconduct; the DOJ's CaPSIT unit (Gov. Code §12525.3) independently investigates officer-involved shootings of unarmed civilians; the OIG (Pen. Code §6125–6133) monitors CDCR prisons; and the BSCC (Pen. Code §6024–6025) inspects local jails. The RIPA Board (Pen. Code §13519.4) collects stop-data and advises but has no enforcement power. None of the statewide bodies hold binding discipline authority over local police or sheriffs — county-level boards created under Gov. Code §25303.7 fill that gap.