Board of Supervisors holds hearing after spike in jail assaults; deputies, inspector general and public defender call for staffing and program changes

A San Francisco Board of Supervisors Committee of the Whole hearing on May 14 examined the recent series of lockdowns in San Francisco County jails after an increase in assaults on deputies and a simultaneous rise in the jail population.

The hearing brought testimony from Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, the president of the Deputy Sheriffs Association (Ken Lamba), Inspector General Terry Wiley and Angela Chan of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. Each witness tied repeated lockdowns and increased violence inside County Jail 1–3 to a combination of understaffing, higher numbers of people detained with behavioral-health and substance-use disorders, and operational strains that limit programming and visitation.

Why it matters: The witnesses described a mix of short-term operational failure points and longer-term policy choices. Witnesses and some supervisors said recent increases in arrests and changes in how the city addresses public drug use contributed to population growth in the jails; they said understaffing and the composition of the detained population have combined to create more frequent lockdowns, disruption of legal visits, and risks to both incarcerated people and deputies.

Sheriff’s description of the situation

Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said the department’s average daily jail population has risen toward roughly 1,200 people and that the department’s custody operations division is operating below authorized staffing…