Fatal shootings by police and Sheriff's deputies dropped throughout San Diego County last year. Even so, the Sheriff's Department is investigating its own policies on the use of force. KPBS Radio's Andrew Phelps has more.
Sheriff's deputies shot five people dead last year in San Diego County. That's down from eight fatal shootings the year before. In 2005, most of those shootings were in Vista. It prompted San Diego's district attorney to start a criminal investigation.
Bill Gore: That led, obviously, to everyone's concern about the Sheriff's deputy's use of force.
Undersheriff Bill Gore wants to look at the best practices of agencies around the country.
Gore: We felt that it was prudent to maybe have an outside entity come in and look at our policies, our procedures and our practices
Gore says independent analysts are interviewing deputies and examining old cases. He isn't saying what the consultants recommend just yet. Their report is due in the next few months. For KPBS, I'm Andrew Phelps.
