Reports of Law Enforcement Fatal Incidents (LEIFI Reports)

Whenever an officer or civilian is shot or dies during an encounter with law enforcement in Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office (CCCDAO), as well as every law enforcement agency in the county, follow a county protocol to investigate an incident.

Under the Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incidents Protocol [LEIFI], the CCCDAO conducts an independent investigation to determine whether the individuals involved may be criminally liable.

To determine criminal liability in an incident, the CCCDAO is required by law to prove to the highest legal standard, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a crime was committed in connection with an incident. 

After a LEIFI incident occurs, the involved law enforcement agency immediately notifies the appropriate district attorney personnel. Trained members of the CCCDAO then respond to the scene and begin a criminal investigation.

The law enforcement agency involved in the incident -- and the jurisdiction where the incident occurred -- also sends criminal investigators to the scene.  It is important to note that each agency conducts its own independent investigation.

As part of a criminal investigation, witnesses may be interviewed, evidence may be collected and analyzed at the county crime lab, and any other relevant investigative work necessary to complete the criminal investigation is conducted. 

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Crime Lab is responsible for evidence collection at the scene of all LEIFI incidents in the county.

Once the initial investigation is completed, the involved police agency and the CCCDAO will each create their own police reports and investigative reports. Those reports document each specific individual’s role in the investigation.

For incidents occurring on or after October 2018, the CCCDAO has been issuing a Public Report which summarizes each LEIFI investigation, provides a legal analysis of the incident, and reaches a legal conclusion as to whether or not criminal charges will be initiated against anyone involved.  

District Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incidents Policy 

2018 Press Release Announcing New LEIFI Policy