Jayson Wechter

Jayson Wechter is a leader in the field of civilian oversight of law enforcement and a nationally recognized expert regarding oversight investigations. He helped establish San Francisco’s Department of Police Accountability (then known as the Office of Citizen Complaints) in 1983 and campaigned for the creation of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (SDOB) and Office of Inspector before being appointed to the SDOB and becoming its inaugural President.

Mr. Wechter has over 40 years of investigative experience in the public and private sector, including over 20 years doing oversight investigations at the Department of Police Accountability, the Oakland Community Police Review Agency, and the Berkeley Office of the Director of Police Accountability. He also worked as an investigator for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and in the private sector as a legal investigator. Mr. Wechter serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), the nation’s preeminent organization and resource for oversight practitioners and supporters. Mr. Wechter has been actively involved with NACOLE since 2003 and was the recipient of its 2022 Contribution to Oversight Award for his decades of work advancing and supporting effective oversight of law enforcement.

Mr. Wechter wrote NACOLE’s Qualification Standards for Oversight Investigators and Supervising Investigators, drafted much of its Recommended Training for Board and Commission Members and played a major role in writing NACOLE’s Code of Ethics, which has been adopted by dozens of oversight agencies around the U.S. Mr. Wechter chairs NACOLE’s Training, Education and Standards committee and hosts NACOLE’s monthly Investigators Forum, where oversight investigators from around the U.S. share information about resources and training opportunities, discuss issues and problems they encounter and offer mutual support to their colleagues.

Mr. Wechter has conducted NACOLE trainings on effective oversight practices for board and commission members, elected officials, and community members in California, New York, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia and Vermont, as well as doing regular trainings for NACOLE’s annual conferences and webinars.

Mr. Wechter earned the Certified Practitioner of Oversight designation from NACOLE. He is also a Certified   Legal Investigator, Certified Criminal Defense Investigator, and Certified Force Science Analyst.