SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento’s first inspector general — hired in 2021 to investigate police misconduct amid an outcry over George Floyd’s murder the preceding year in Minneapolis — has left his position.

Dwight White oversaw investigations into use-of-force incidents that resulted in serious injury or death, in-custody deaths and civilian complaints at the Sacramento Police Department and complaints against the city’s Fire Department. The creation of an inspector general position was among a raft of 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. He said his last day was Dec. 21.

The audit released in 2023 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 inspector general’s recommendations 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.

When White was hired in 2021, he was the sole person following up on misconduct allegations lodged against police officers. The inspector general, which falls under the Office of Public Safety and Accountability, grew under his tenure with the hiring of a deputy inspector general, senior investigators and entry-level investigators, he said.

White had released quarterly reports since 2021 detailing the complaints his office received. It also broke down the age, sex and races of the complainants, as well as which district had the most complaints.

The Sacramento Observer first reported White’s resignation.

The city did not immediately answer whether White’s position will be filled. But Office of Public Safety and Accountability Director LaTesha Watson told the Observer she is not actively looking to fill the position immediately because of the city’s budget crisis.

The city faces an approximate $77 million budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year.

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.

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