The former policy director at the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, Janelle Caywood, is suing the city for wrongful termination and retaliation after she raised concerns over “unlawful conduct,” racism and misspent funds.
Caywood filed her lawsuit on Tuesday. In August, Mission Local first reported her firing after seven years at the agency, as well as many of her concerns that are now detailed in her lawsuit.
DPA investigates public complaints of police misconduct, police shootings, and audits. It also makes policy recommendations to the San Francisco Police Department.
As policy director, Caywood said she publicly reported issues with the police department’s policymaking to the Police Commission. When SFPD leadership became frustrated, DPA director Paul Henderson, “who was close with the SFPD leadership, reassigned Ms. Caywood to a new role,” in early 2024, the lawsuit alleges.
Henderson, the lawsuit says, “did not follow typical workplace professional norms” — Caywood alleged that soon after she began working there, Henderson “jokingly” gifted a receptionist hemorrhoid medication during an office holiday party. In 2019, she said he showed her a photo of a dildo while discussing a sex party that his ex-partner had attended.
Caywood also reported concerns about Diana Rosenstein, who managed the department’s legal teams, saying she “unfairly targeted” staff members of color. At one point, Caywood said that Rosenstein called a Black member of the police commission an “Uncle Tom” in text messages.
Caywood said that when she went to report her concerns to Henderson, he defended Rosenstein, and instead told Rosenstein that Caywood was complaining about her.
Caywood, who notes in her suit that she suffers from PTSD, said she was not given reasonable accommodation for her disability. She said that those close with Henderson “began harassing her and making false accusations” about her.
Caywood is not the only DPA employee to express concerns about the agency’s management. In June and July of 2025, multiple employees went to the Police Commission to speak out about mishandled layoffs and being overworked. Mission Local reported that three other employees declared a loss of confidence in Henderson.
Over the years at the department, the lawsuit states that Caywood reported various issues, several of which were reported by Mission Local, including Henderson allegedly misappropriating funds for Vicious and Dangerous Dog hearings, staff being forbidden to give public comment at Police Commission meetings and Rosenstein filing reports in Caywood’s name without her knowledge.
After making those reports, Caywood was allegedly subjected to a “hostile work environment,” including mocking or ignoring at the office. In August 2025, Caywood was fired abruptly.
Caywood told Mission Local in 2025 that she had been trying to “address the hostile working environment through all the appropriate city channels, to no avail,” and said she was looking into filing a lawsuit.
Regarding Caywood’s Aug. 5 firing, “the proffered reason was that Ms. Caywood was “disrespectful and insubordinate” and “argumentative” in the all-hands meeting,” the lawsuit said. Caywood’s firing was “devastating” and caused “extensive emotional distress.”
Henderson, in a statement, pushed back against Caywood’s claims.
“I categorically deny the allegations made against me and the agency, [and] find them offensive to my reputation and proven work history,” Henderson said. “The city will respond vigorously to this lawsuit in court.”
In August, Henderson told Mission Local that he was disappointed to learn about criticisms of his leadership.
“These are hard jobs, and we go through many difficult things here in the office,” Henderson said at the time. “I try to do as good a job as I can to represent the city and represent our mission.”
The City Attorney’s office did not comment on the suit. Spokesperson Jen Kwart said in a statement: “Once we are served, we will review the complaint and respond in court.”
Henderson has padded his DPA office with unnecessary personnel while stripping the investigative side of needed resources, specifically 8124 investigators. He also wrongfully canned an excellent investigative supervisor who had rights to claim the lower position of investigator. That investigator fortunately was able to land elsewhere. Henderson is all about himself and his self-aggrandizement. He once claimed he was on VP Harris’s “transition team” when Biden became president. LOL. His ego is akin to previously fired director Joyce Hicks. Henderson rarely if ever interacts with investigators, who are the life blood of the agency, yet the budget cuts demanded by the mayor will more than likely be from the investigative side of the agency and not fromthe porky management side. Know this: investigators have a fixed time to complete their investigations and they need the tools, training and staff to complete these investigations. Will the mayor pay attention to this? He wants to cut the power to the police commission to hire and fire department heads under its purview. The Police Commission rescued DPA from Joyce Hicks. It should do the same with Paul Henderson.
Eleni,
I believe Henderson got this job as reward for stepping away from a run for City Attorney against Kamala who was once Willie ‘s squeeze.
One of her ‘campaign’ promises was that if Willie jaywalked she’d have him arrested.
On the other hand, I recall City hall brass commenting about Willie showing up at events with the former Vice President of the United States of America …
“I can’t believe the Mayor is finally dating an adult.”
It’s in the archives …
go Niners !!
h.
There are plenty of reasons to think low of Henderson without inserting your baloney speculative drivel like some wannabe tabloid journalist.