Three Fairfield police officers engaged in sexual misconduct with members of the public. Four others had sustained findings of dishonesty — they withheld evidence, committed forgery or falsified reports. And several other officers used a level of force that broke bones, required surgeries and killed two people.

These are the findings of more than two decades of internal investigations recently unsealed by the Fairfield Police Department.

Fairfield officials released an overview of these incidents in response to The Chronicle’s public records request, in what is among the first batch of records made publicly available because of SB1421, the state’s new police transparency law. Authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, the law took effect Jan. 1 and lifted the curtain on California police personnel files, which for years have been shielded by some of the most stringent privacy laws in the country.

For the first time in decades, the public now has access to findings of sexual assault or dishonesty while officers are on duty, as well as investigations involving serious uses of force.

On Thursday, Fairfield released an index of these records, which go back to 1996 and provide the date and location of the incident, the officers’ names, a brief summary of the conduct and what type of discipline, if any, was imposed. Officials said they would release more thorough records of these cases, at The Chronicle’s request, at a later date.

The initial disclosure provides a glimpse into the secretive universe of California police investigations, and clues as to how one Bay Area department polices its own.

A Fairfield police spokesman said he wasn’t familiar enough with the documents released but the information found in them speaks to the department’s ethics.

“I’d like to think (the investigations) reflect the department has done well to ensure the community and professional standards have been upheld and appropriate action taken in those unfortunate instances where our employees’ behavior has been unacceptable,” said Lt. Greg Hurlbut.

The report lists four separate cases of “sustained sexual assault” involving three officers. Officer Joseph Griego is named in two cases, one stemming from Jan. 27, 2015, and another from May 2015.

In the January incident, “Officer Griego was investigated for several conduct and performance violations” at a small shopping center, according to the summary. His actions “included physical advances on multiple victims” and all four violations in those cases were sustained.

The May case included “physical advances on a single victim” at a Fairfield golf course, and again “all four violations were sustained.”

Internal affairs officials recommended a 20-day suspension for the first case and termination for the second. Griego ultimately retired on Nov. 21, 2015.

When reached by The Chronicle, Griego said the allegations against him were unfounded and the product of retribution by his employers rather than misconduct. Griego said the allegations came after he filed a grievance against his supervisor.

“I believe I was retaliated against,” he said. “There were a lot of really silly allegations. ... In an effort to make it all go away, I retired on my 50th birthday.”

In another case, investigators found five sustained violations against Officer Darryl Webb stemming from an Aug. 14, 2015, case. Sustained violations included “engaging in on-duty sexual relations with a member of the public, including but not limited to sexual intercourse, excessive displays of public affection or other sexual contact,” according to the report.

Criminal charges were filed against Webb and he resigned on May 31, 2016. Though the index does not detail the nature of the allegations, the Daily Republic reported that he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor in a 2016 revenge porn case.

A third officer, Zachary Sandoval, was found to have sustained complaints from an incident on Aug. 12, 2014. His actions included “unwelcome solicitation of a personal or sexual relationship while on duty, and conduct unbecoming (of) an officer.”

It was recommended Sandoval receive a one-day suspension.

The report provides four cases involving a “sustained honesty complaint” by an officer with incidents ranging from 1996 to 2009. The officers were found to have withheld evidence, committed forgery and falsified reports, resulting in two terminations, one resignation and one unknown discipline recommendation.

Fairfield also provided two lists of incidents involving use of force. The first contains those involving “great bodily injury,” and the second pertains to police killings.

The report lists two cases in which police force resulted in a death. The first occurred on Jan. 15, 2015, after a suspect “advanced on officers” while holding an 8-inch-long kitchen knife, the report states. Officer Dan Hatzell fatally shot the suspect, according to the Daily Republic.

Six officers were involved in a deadly shooting on Sept. 27, 2017, after returning fire on a suspect who shot at police, the report states. No internal discipline was recommended for either deadly incident, though the 2017 case is still under investigation by the Alameda County district attorney’s office.

Use of force also resulted in 11 cases in which members of the public were severely injured. Most involved fleeing suspects, and they were either shot with gunfire, tased or struck with a baton. Five people were injured by a K9 unit. All uses of force were deemed justified by prosecutors and internal investigators, with the exception of one 2018 case that police called “justified” but is “still under investigation” by the Solano County district attorney’s office.

Attempts to reach the Fairfield police union for comment were unsuccessful.

In response to SB1421’s enactment, The Chronicle has requested records from dozens of Bay Area law enforcement agencies, including police departments, sheriff’s offices and correctional institutions.

Most departments have signaled that they will follow the new law, though many have requested more time to fulfill the voluminous requests.

However, several police and deputy unions in Contra Costa County and Southern California are fighting the law in court. Attorneys for the unions argue that the new law doesn’t apply to records created before 2019, and they have asked a judge to block their release.

Cities, counties, media outlets and the American Civil Liberties Union are expected to argue against this move.

In a letter sent Thursday to Erika Contreras, the secretary of California’s Senate, state Sen. Skinner attempted to clarify the intent of the law she authored.

“It is my understanding in enacting SB1421 that the change in the law applies to all disclosable records whether or not they existed prior to the date the statute went into effect,” Skinner wrote. “This is the standard practice for public records legislation in California.”

A Contra Costa County Superior Court judge is scheduled to hear arguments on both sides Feb. 8.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy