Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Law Enforcement Equipment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee refers sheriff's military-equipment report to full board after chemical-weapons concern
Summary
The Board of Supervisors Rules Committee voted to forward the San Francisco Sheriff's 2024 military equipment use policy report and a request for additional equipment to the full board without recommendation after a supervisor raised concerns about approving chemical agent use while a separate investigation in San Mateo County remains open.
Supervisor Walton, chair of the Rules Committee, moved Feb. (date not specified) to forward the San Francisco Sheriff's military equipment use policy 2024 annual report and a request to purchase and use additional equipment to the full Board of Supervisors without the committee's recommendation. The motion passed unanimously.
The item, described by the clerk as a resolution accepting the San Francisco Sheriff's military equipment use policy 2024 annual report and approving requests consistent with state-law criteria, drew a substantive intervention from Supervisor Walton. "I really truly have an issue with trying to approve a chemical weapon when we still have an ongoing investigation of what happened during a training practice, in San Mateo County where children at a nearby school were affected by the training usage of the weapons," Walton said, and asked whether the chemical-agent portion of the request could be removed or the matter continued until investigators finish.
President Mandelmann, a committee member, said he "thinks that makes sense," and the committee recorded the roll-call vote as Vice Chair Cheryl, aye; Member Mandelmann, aye; Chair Walton, aye. The clerk recorded the motion as "refer the matter, without recommendation." No members of the public spoke on the item during the committee meeting.
The committee record shows Sheriff Miyamoto was present but did not speak during the committee discussion. The resolution and request remain before the full Board of Supervisors; the committee did not adopt or amend the sheriff's report but instead sent it forward without recommendation.
The transcript notes that the committee relied on statutory criteria in state law when describing permissible military-equipment purchases, but the clerk did not cite a specific code section during the meeting. Committee members said the timeline for the external investigation in San Mateo County was unclear, and Walton urged either more information or separating chemical-agent equipment from the broader request before approving it at the board level.
The referral sends the item to the Board of Supervisors agenda for further consideration, where supervisors may debate, amend, or vote to approve or deny the sheriff's requested equipment purchases and use policies.
