Board advances community policing/foot‑patrol measure to ballot after contentious debate

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to send a community policing and foot‑patrol ordinance to the November 2010 ballot after extended debate over scope and a contentious procedural fight about dividing the measure.

What the proposal would do: The ordinance, as noticed for the ballot, would require the San Francisco Police Department to adopt a community policing policy and would establish a citywide framework for foot patrols as a public‑safety strategy. A second related measure that would have placed a sit/lie prohibition on the sidewalk was considered separately in a paired ballot option (item 43), resulting in a voter choice between the policing policy and a sit‑lie ordinance on the ballot.

Board debate and procedure - Advocates, including sponsor Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, argued the city benefits from institutionalizing foot‑patrols because prior pilot programs showed improved neighborhood outcomes. "When foot patrols have been applied, they work," Mirkarimi said during debate. - Opponents, including several supervisors, argued that policy decisions about policing structure should remain with the mayor and the police chief and that the ballot is not the right tool to micromanage department operations. - A protracted procedural dispute occurred when a supervisor tried to divide the measure into component votes. Board President David Chiu ruled that individual supervisors could request division but that the board could still vote on divided portions; he said if both divided parts passed they would be submitted to the ballot as noticed. The board then voted on the divided portions and on the remaining text.

Outcome: The board approved the language for the community policing measure and the related ballot placement item (the item that proposed community policing and foot patrols as one choice on the ballot), and the clerk recorded votes consistent with the board's ruling. A separate item that would have had voters choose between community policing and a sit‑lie ban was also processed so voters would have the choices as noticed on the ballot.

What happens next: Because both divided parts were approved as the president ruled, the ordinance will proceed to the ballot as it was noticed; supervisors said they expected to work with the Police Department on implementation details if voters approve the measure.

Quote - "When foot patrols have been applied, they work," Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said in support of the measure.

Provenance: Board debate and procedural rulings on the matter are recorded in the July meeting transcript.