Police Commission retroactively adopts DGO 1.02 to formalize new district boundaries

The San Francisco Police Commission voted on July 22 to adopt Department General Order (DGO) 1.02 to memorialize new police district boundaries put into effect July 19.

Lieutenant Walsh told the commission the department switched to the new boundaries on July 19 with support from several agencies and asked the commission to retroactively adopt the DGO to match the maps chosen by the commission on April 15, 2015. "By your vote on April fifteenth of 2015, you selected the maps that would, eventually, and that are now in place," the lieutenant said, asking the commission to accept the order with an effective date of July 19.

Commission discussion covered whether to schedule a formal review and how quickly data would show operational impacts. One commissioner asked whether a three- or six-month review would be appropriate; staff replied a review in the six-to-nine-month range would offer better perspective, and that reopening the boundaries could require legal review under the city charter.

A motion to adopt the revised DGO was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote; the minutes record "Aye" votes with no recorded opposition or abstentions. Commissioners also asked staff to solicit public input as part of the post-implementation review.

The commission did not take a roll-call vote for the DGO at the meeting; staff said the item mirrors the commission's earlier April map selection and is principally a codification of that prior decision. The commission requested an update on operational impacts within the next several months.