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Police Commission adopts revised sexual-assault response policy
Summary
The San Francisco Police Commission approved revisions to Department General Order 6.16, updating patrol procedures, privacy protections and DNA-collection guidance and aligning the policy with Penal Code Section 679.04. The motion passed unanimously as recorded with six yes votes.
The San Francisco Police Commission on Oct. 8 approved a substantially revised Department General Order (DGO) 6.16 governing the department’s response to sexual assault.
Acting Captain Gordon of the Special Victims Unit presented the update, noting the policy — last updated in February 2008 — was revised after a working-group process that included commissioners, community organizations, victim-advocates and partner agencies. Gordon said the rewrite prioritizes an initial patrol response that balances operational clarity for officers with “supporting victims both physically and emotionally.” The presentation highlighted new procedures for DNA collection and for handling child-victim interviews, updated victim-privacy safeguards and hyperlinks to legal references to speed field access to guidance.
Commissioner Benedikto, a member of the working group, commended stakeholders including domestic-violence and victim-advocate groups for substantive input and moved to approve the policy. Commissioner Scott seconded the motion and the commission recorded six yes votes on the final tally.
The revised order explicitly references Penal Code Section 679.04 and, according to the presentation, incorporates guidance from California POST and health partners to standardize evidence collection and victim-centered exam requests. The policy also updates SFPD Form 540 (Know Your Rights as a Victim of Sexual Assault) to be issued once the order takes effect.
No public commenters addressed the item during the hearing. The commission did not record any amendments to the motion in the meeting and directed staff to finalize implementation details with bargaining units as required by labor-relations processes.
What happens next: the commission approved the DGO for the department to use in meeting and conferring with effective bargaining units; implementation scheduling and final form were not specified at the hearing.
