John Alden has over fifteen years of deep experience in police accountability. He currently serves as the Director of the Independent Office Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) in Sonoma County, California. There he oversees the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as an Inspector General, including oversight of both its patrol and jail functions.

Mr. Alden was the Executive Director of the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA) in the City of Oakland for nearly three years. There, he oversaw investigations of police misconduct, and engaged the community in police reform efforts led by the Oakland Police Commission.  Mr. Alden previously worked for the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA), formerly known as the Office of Citizen Complaints, and also for the Internal Affairs Division of the San Francisco Police Department. In those offices, he managed the investigation of complaints of excessive force, litigated disciplinary hearings, and advocated for changes in police policies and procedures. Mr. Alden also served as the Managing Attorney of the Independent Investigations Bureau ("IIB") in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, a unit specializing in the investigation and prosecution of Officer Involved Shootings, In Custody Deaths, and other forms of potentially criminal officer misconduct.

Before working in police accountability, Mr. Alden began his career as a prosecutor, working in Sonoma and Marin Counties, and then transitioned to private practice litigating employment law matters. Early in his career, he worked in the California State Legislature as an Unruh Fellow.

Mr. Alden received both his law degree and bachelors degree from the University of California, Berkeley.