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Residents press Police Commission to implement use‑of‑force rules, ban shooting at moving vehicles
Summary
At the Nov. 2 Police Commission meeting, dozens of public commenters urged immediate implementation of the commission’s use‑of‑force general order and a specific ban on shooting at moving vehicles, criticized delays tied to union negotiations, and demanded transparency about a recent Daly City shooting and an eyewitness arrest.
Public commenters filled the San Francisco Police Commission meeting on Nov. 2, pressing the panel to adopt long‑pending changes to the department’s use‑of‑force policy and to publicly explain recent developments in a shooting by Daly City officers.
Yolanda Williams, speaking during general public comment, said the Department of Justice and a blue‑ribbon panel have called for reforms the city has yet to adopt and asked the commission to show it is committed to root‑and‑branch change: "We must show that we represent reform." Several other speakers echoed that demand and accused the Police Officers Association of slowing or blocking implementation.
Community advocates and victims’ relatives repeatedly urged the commission to enact the department general order (DGO) the commission approved in June and to ban shooting at moving vehicles. Karen Fleischman, representing the Justice for Mario Woods Coalition, said the commission "unanimously passed it on June 22" and pressed interim Chief Tony Chaplin to issue the order by department general order so officers would be trained and accountable.
Several speakers described a recent, high‑profile shooting in the Ingleside/Lakeview neighborhoods that local advocates call the "Notorious Dickerson" case. Attorneys and family members said the shooting was carried out by Daly City and California Highway Patrol officers, that the injured man is in intensive care and family access has been limited, and that an eyewitness who posted video was arrested in an early‑morning SWAT action. Rebecca Young, a deputy public defender who said she represents the injured man, said the police department’s arrest of an eyewitness raised concerns about possible intimidation and requested that the commission investigate the SWAT arrest.
Speakers from the ACLU, the Bar Association and local civil‑rights groups framed the debate as one of momentum: they said the commission had approved reforms after months of stakeholder work but that the meet‑and‑confer process with the union left implementation stalled. An ACLU representative said that heading into a closed session "is mystifying" and warned that the commission’s approach risks "sabotaging the collaborative reform process."
Commissioners did not take public action on the use‑of‑force policy during the open session. Multiple callers asked staff and the interim chief for follow‑up and for public updates on where the department stands relative to DOJ recommendations. The meeting proceeded to votes on whether to hold a related item in closed session before adjourning.
What happens next: the commission voted later in the meeting to take a specified agenda item into closed session under the San Francisco Administrative Code; the public will await any public release or staff follow‑up on the outstanding questions about DGO implementation and the circumstances around the Daly City shooting.
