Board schedules May hearing on SFPD racist, homophobic text messages; supervisors press for civilian-investigator resources

Supervisor Marr called for a hearing into racist and homophobic text messages exchanged by members of the San Francisco Police Department, saying the messages show "racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry" remain a problem in the department.

The hearing request, directed to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee and named to include President Breed and Supervisors Cohen, Avalos and Campos, is intended to let the department and community organizations discuss strategies to address biases in policing. "We must address that fact," Marr said, adding the hearing will invite the police department, the district attorney's office, the public defender and the Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC) to participate.

The board's call for the hearing followed reporting that additional SFPD officers were under investigation. "As of right now, there are 10 more additional officers that are now under investigation, including one captain," Supervisor Cohen said. Cohen and others asked that civilian oversight bodies be strengthened and funded.

Supervisor Campos urged increased resources for the OCC, which investigates complaints against officers. "My understanding is that as of today, the OCC has three investigators that they have to ... investigate," Campos said, calling for budgetary support so the office can perform timely, thorough investigations.

Supervisor Breed and others said they supported transparency about the disciplinary process and sought better community–department relations. Breed noted proposals for a cadet program to recruit local youth into the department as one tool to improve community representation.

Supervisor Kim outlined goals for the hearing, including reviewing prior community–police recommendations and assessing what remains to be implemented. "My goal is to make sure that we look into those recommendations ... determine what we have accomplished," she said.

Supervisor Marr later set May 7 as the date for the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee hearing to examine the disclosures and related oversight issues.

Ending: Supervisors said they would follow up in committee and during the budget process on OCC funding and police oversight structures. The board did not take a formal disciplinary action in the meeting; the item was a hearing request and committee scheduling.