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Hundreds of San Franciscans and experts urged the commission to reject tasers, citing safety and racial concerns
Summary
More than a hundred public speakers and independent experts testified against adopting conducted energy devices, citing studies that show racial disparities, device failures and potential increases in in-custody deaths; supporters including some neighborhood police advisory boards and business groups testified for an intermediate force option.
Speakers filled and overflowed the commission room on Friday, making public comment the dominant portion of a hearing that ran for many hours. Dozens of scheduled speakers and many who waited in line urged the commission to reject tasers for the city—s police officers.
"These weapons are widely considered nonlethal, which is simply not true," Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer told the commission, saying passage would be "irresponsible and shortsighted" while SFPD has outstanding Department of Justice recommendations. Health professionals who spoke at the hearing described people who are homeless,…
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