SDPD chief pledges more transparency around interactions with ICE

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl is pledging more frequent reports to the City Council when officers are called to a scene involving federal immigration agents.

The pledge was included in a memo issued on Oct. 30 — one day after City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera publicly accused Wahl of lacking transparency around the issue.

The public disagreement between the two stems from differing interpretations of the city's Due Process and Safety Ordinance. The council adopted that ordinance last year in an effort to limit cooperation between SDPD and the federal agents carrying out President Trump's immigration crackdown.

The ordinance requires the chief of police to issue written reports to the City Council within three business days anytime SDPD officers are called to a scene where federal agents are conducting immigration enforcement.

Since the ordinance took effect in May, SDPD officers have responded to incidents where federal agents were present but not conducting immigration arrests. Wahl's memo states those incidents are not covered by the Due Process and Safety Ordinance, but that SDPD would report them to the mayor and City Council going forward.