Abrupt Exit: San Jose's Police Watchdog Retires as Oversight Debate Continues

Key Takeaways

• San Jose Independent Police Auditor Eddie Aubrey will retire on Sept. 1, days after being placed on administrative leave.
• City officials have not explained the departure, and Mayor Matt Mahan has ordered a national search.
• Deputy Independent Police Auditor Dwight White will lead the office in the interim.
• The exit follows years of debate over the auditor's limited power to investigate police misconduct.

Introduction

San Jose's independent police watchdog is leaving his post after just over two years, a sudden exit that has reignited questions about police accountability in the South Bay.

Eddie Aubrey, who led the Office of the Independent Police Auditor since spring 2024, will retire at the end of August. The Tuesday announcement came one week after the Mercury News reported the city had placed Aubrey on leave.

A Sudden Exit for San Jose's Top Cop Watchdog

The mayor's office has not offered any public explanation for Aubrey's departure. Mayor Matt Mahan said the city will conduct a national search for a replacement and thanked Aubrey for his service.

Aubrey was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 4. He did not respond to requests for comment. Mayor Mahan said he cannot share details because it is a confidential personnel matter, but he thanked Aubrey for his work and praised changes made under his tenure.

"Trust and transparency create safety, and the Independent Police Auditor helps maintain both here in San Jose," Mahan said in a statement. "I want to thank Eddie Aubrey for his service to our city and urge those who care deeply about justice and accountability to apply for this important position." The mayor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Deputy Independent Police Auditor Dwight White, a former inspector general for Sacramento, will oversee the office while the search is underway. He said he will seek to maintain consistency as he assumes leadership of the office. White said the agency's immediate focus is delivering its annual report on police misconduct to the City Council on Sept. 15. "Most of our recommendations are going to be community focused, community forward and trying to improve the relationship with police in the community and the respect for community members," White told San Jose Spotlight.

A History of Turmoil in the Oversight Office

Aubrey, 67, is a former police officer and prosecutor. Before coming to San Jose, he led the Internal Affairs unit for the Richmond Police Department and served as independent auditor for the Fresno Police Department. Aubrey took over the office in April 2024.

He succeeded interim Independent Police Auditor Karyn Sinunu-Towery, a former 30-year prosecutor in Santa Clara County, who was selected for the temporary role after Shivaun Nurre's unexpected retirement in June 2023. Nurre's five years as the city's top cop watchdog ended after a drunken argument with police officers at the San Jose Greek Festival. Months later, the assistant police auditor, Eva Roa, resigned and left a scathing letter criticizing city officials for ignoring the office's recommendations. The letter also chided Sinunu-Towery for being too trusting of police department investigators.

Aubrey's departure continues a pattern of short and sometimes controversial tenures. Before Nurre, Aaron Zisser resigned in less than a year, citing personal attacks from the police union. Since Teresa Guerrero-Daley, the city's first independent police auditor who began in 1994, retired after more than a decade, six other auditors have come and gone.

Local Context: San Jose's Police Reform Battles

The Office of the Independent Police Auditor was created in 1993 to provide a civilian check on San Jose Police Department internal investigations, ensuring such investigations are complete, thorough and fair. But advocates have long argued the office lacks the authority to do meaningful oversight.

Last year, the San Jose City Council rejected a proposal backed by Aubrey that would have let the auditor review all use-of-force cases, not just those involving death or great bodily injury. The council also turned down his request for deeper access after officer-involved shootings. Critics said the changes would cost too much and open hundreds of new cases to review.

"Complete and full transparency is needed now more than ever," said Richard Konda, executive director of the Asian Law Alliance.

San Jose State sociology professor William Armaline, who serves on the NAACP South Bay chapter's executive board, told San Jose Spotlight: "What we're looking for is for this office and its mission to be taken seriously. There needs to be someone viable and successful and capable in this position. It's vital for public safety. It's vital for frankly the functioning of the police department."

Background: A Long Fight Over Power

Voters gave the auditor's office expanded access in a 2020 ballot measure. Nurre, echoing a consultant's report to the council, later advocated for the city to further expand the powers of the auditor, including the right to directly conduct investigations into alleged police misconduct instead of only auditing internal police investigations. In late 2022, former Mayor Sam Liccardo pushed to go further and allow the auditor to directly investigate misconduct, but the San Jose Police Officers' Association pushed back. In November 2023, the council voted 8 to 2 to reject those broader powers. At the time, interim IPA Karyn Sinunu-Towery was at the helm of the office.

Mayor Mahan acknowledged the high-pressure nature of the job. "My preference, of course, would be to have someone who is there for a longer period of time because I think it adds stability," he told KQED.

"I don't know what the exact right number of years is. It's a high-pressure, tough job, and you've got to expect a certain amount of turnover in all of the council-appointee jobs," Mahan said. He also said the role is critical to building trust in public safety officials in the large and diverse city. "We cannot continue to be the safest big city in the country if we don't hire the best and brightest to ensure transparency and accountability."

Conclusion

The abrupt retirement of San Jose's police auditor leaves a critical oversight role in transition. The city's national search will determine whether the next leader can rebuild trust in a department that has faced repeated scrutiny over police accountability.

For now, Deputy IPA Dwight White is in charge, and the office's annual misconduct report is expected to land before the City Council on Sept. 15.