Sacramento’s first inspector general, who oversaw police, resigns. ‘I was tough but fair’

Sacramento’s first inspector general — hired in 2021 to increase police accountability and transparency amid an outcry over George Floyd’s murder the preceding year in Minneapolis — has left his position.

Dwight White conducted investigations into use-of-force incidents that resulted in serious injury or death, in-custody deaths and civilian complaints at the Sacramento Police Department . The creation of an inspector general position was among police reforms passed by the City Council in the wake of widespread protests over police brutality.

White said he felt it was the time to leave because a new mayor and council members were elected, and because of the submission of an audit which found officers did not observe residents’ protections against unreasonable searches and seizures outlined in the Fourth Amendment.

“I accomplished what I set out to do,” White said in an interview Tuesday. His last day was Dec. 20, city spokesperson Jennifer Singer said.

The inspector general falls under the Office of Public Safety Accountability.

The audit released in 2023 by OPSA contained about a dozen recommendations to stop a “systemic practice” of unreasonable stops, searches and seizures. It delved into an incident in which police said it was within department policy to handcuff a 10-year-old girl during a probation search.

Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester has said she disagrees with the finding that racial bias is systemic across searches and seizures. But she has said the audit contained helpful recommendations.

The recommendations in the audit have not yet been implemented by the Police Department.

“It’s taken a long time for the PD to push through the policies,” White said.

White was hired in 2021 and followed up on misconduct allegations lodged against police officers.

OPSA grew after White was hired with the additions of a deputy inspector general, senior investigators and entry-level investigators, he said.

White contributed to quarterly reports released by OPSA detailing complaints the office received, including use-of-force and officer-involved shooting incidents. The reports also broke down the age, sex and races of the complainants, as well as which council district had the most complaints.

The Sacramento Observer first reported White’s resignation. The Observer reported that OPSA Director LaTesha Watson said she was “not actively looking to fill the IG role immediately” due to budget concerns. The city faces an approximate $77 million budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year.

However, Watson and Singer said Wednesday the position will be filled, with Singer saying in an emailed response this was expected to happen “in the near future.”

Deputy Inspector General Lydia Devereux will assume the responsibility of inspector general while the search is ongoing, Watson said.

White, a lawyer by training and Chicago native, got his start with police oversight in Chicago as part of a civilian office. He started this month as an assistant independent police auditor with the city of San Jose.

His total pay in Sacramento was $126,980 in 2023, according to Transparent California. White will make $190,000 a year at his position in San Jose, according to a city spokesperson. Like in Sacramento, he is not under a contract.

White recalled how he went to every officer-involved shooting — often at night — and attended briefings in Sacramento. He sought to show the City Council that his oversight is important for the capital city’s residents, he said.

“I think I was tough but fair,” White said.

This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.