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Advisory board recommends revocation of Michael Kim's POST certificates after division finds dishonesty in 2014 declaration
Summary
The advisory board voted to recommend revocation of former San Francisco deputy Michael Kim's POST certificates after POST investigators found clear-and-convincing evidence he submitted a false court declaration and lied to FBI agents; the division cited his 2018 guilty plea to contempt in support of dishonesty findings.
The Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board voted unanimously on Oct. 9, 2025, to recommend revocation of POST certificates held by Michael Kim, a former San Francisco Sheriff's Office deputy, after the Professional Conduct Division reported clear-and-convincing evidence of dishonesty.
POST law enforcement consultant Kevin Sherburne told the board that investigators found Kim filed a declaration in 2014 that contained materially false statements about how a ballistic vest came into the possession of a defendant in federal court. Sherburne said Kim later told FBI agents he had lied, and that on May 25, 2018, Kim pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor contempt count for knowingly filing false statements. The division concluded those acts constitute dishonesty under Penal Code section 13510.8 because the false statements were related to a criminal prosecution and to the investigation of officer conduct.
Sherburne summarized the investigation: Kim had been friends with one of the defendants in the underlying federal prosecution and, according to the investigation, submitted the declaration that said his wife misplaced a vest at a salon and that the defendant took it inadvertently. Investigators say Kim then admitted to lying in a later federal interview. The division recommended revocation on the ground that Kim's statements obstructed justice, enlisted others in the false account and harmed departmental discipline and public trust.
Kim resigned from the sheriff's office after the matter first surfaced. In 2021 and again in 2024 POST-regulated background and psychological reviews occurred during Kim's re-application to the sheriff's office; the POST investigation noted disputed psychologist findings and a later supportive letter from then-Sheriff Paul Miyamoto that contributed to a later suitability finding by one psychologist. Kim was rehired by San Francisco in late 2024 and had been working toward requalification when the POST division opened its inquiry.
Kim's attorney, who submitted a written public comment that the board read into the record, argued that POST had ventured into the hiring process and that some background matters were irrelevant to decertification; the attorney also said Kim had previously said he would not seek a law-enforcement position. POST's division said it initiated the inquiry after a public-records request and an anonymous complaint alerted staff to Kim's conviction and that the division has authority to open investigations in such circumstances.
After deliberations in closed session the board voted 7-0 to recommend revocation of Kim's POST certificates. The board's recommendation now goes to the Commission for consideration of a final administrative hearing and possible action.
