Payouts for killings and injuries plummet for Bay Area police departments undergoing reforms Published Police agencies with oversight pay less in civil penalties Police agencies that have independent oversight are paying much less in civil penalties for injuring or killing people than many departments left to police themselves, a KTVU investigation has found. Evan Sernoffsky reports OAKLAND - In one case, a man experiencing a mental-health crisis hanged himself after deputies shackled him to a jail door. In another, five police officers fired 26 rounds at a stabbing suspect as he shuffled along a wall holding a knife. And in another case, an officer chased an unarmed bicyclist into an alley before fatally opening fire during a scuffle.