This is the Evaluator's official website. As we continue on the path of reform, we anticipate there is hard work to come. We will post and update our materials as the process progresses and will seek to engage as many stakeholders as possible. Our goal is to amplify the community voice in Vallejo while assisting the City and VPD in their reform goals.

The Vallejo Evaluator

The Vallejo Evaluator oversees the implementation of the Settlement Agreement (Agreement) entered into by the California Department of Justice (CALDOJ), the Vallejo Police Department (VPD) and the City of Vallejo (City) (the Parties) on April 8, 2024. The Agreement contains a series of police reform measures that the City and VPD will implement.

The Agreement’s underlying goal is to enhance VPD’s relationship with the Vallejo community as a whole. The Vallejo Evaluation Team (VET) understands that this outcome requires a true partnership between VPD and the community it serves – one in which VPD is transparent about its processes and provides community members with a voice regarding policing strategies. The Agreement seeks to ensure the City and VPD focus on protecting individual statutory and constitutional rights, treat individuals with dignity and respect, and promote public safety consistent with community priorities.

The Parties (CALDOJ, City and VPD) may seek relief from a court if they cannot reach an agreement on compliance with each paragraph’s requirements in the Agreement. The Parties anticipate that VPD and the City can reach Substantial Compliance with the requirements of the Agreement within five years. The Agreement ends upon compliance with the requirements.

Substantive reform can only be achieved with the Vallejo stakeholders serving as partners to the reform envisioned in the Agreement. Throughout the period of the Agreement and going forward, the Vallejo community will have the opportunity for meaningful engagement about the progress of reform VPD policing strategies and key areas of concern. We are here to help drive this engagement through evaluation and reporting.

The Evaluator’s Role

The Evaluator is tasked with evaluating VPD’s progress in implementing the Agreement’s reform requirements. To complete this role, the VET will work with the stakeholders – community members, advocates, institutional partners— and the Parties to understand and evaluate VPD’s progress. We will generate an annual work plan and report annually as to VPD’s progress under this plan.

The Evaluator will assess VPD’s progress through data review, evaluation of policies and practices, observations and interviews. We will report annually on the outcomes of our reviews and assessments and identify systemic changes, improvements and concerns, where applicable. We will do so in a manner that will provide transparency, oversight and accountability to policing in Vallejo.

It is important to note that the Evaluator does not have the authority to act in place of the Chief, City Manager, Mayor, City Council, Attorney General, or Department of Justice. The Evaluator cannot directly address individual complaints. The Evaluator ensures the reforms called for in the Agreement establish sustainable police practices that are delivered in a procedurally just manner and consistent with the values of the Vallejo community. This reform will benefit all individuals in Vallejo and set a new standard for policing within the community.