Chief and OCC director report to commission on crime trends, cadet and oversight programs

At the June 24 meeting Chief Gregory P. Sier and Office of Citizen Complaints Director Joyce Hicks delivered routine reports to the Police Commission addressing crime trends, youth programs and oversight activities.

Chief Sier said the department’s year-to-date homicide total was approximately 24, with one suspicious death pending medical-examiner determination. He placed current figures in a multi-year context, saying the city is near a five-year average and far below peaks earlier in the decade. Sier highlighted the department’s cadet and PAL programming — he said a new PAL class had begun with roughly 30 high-school participants and the summer jobs program has employed about 1,000 young people over recent years, the majority from neighborhoods of color.

Sier also underscored public-safety planning for large events including the US Conference of Mayors and Pride weekend, and reminded the public of an anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 for information on violent crimes; he confirmed that a $250,000 reward is available in the Aubrey Aprakasa cold case.

OCC Director Joyce Hicks reported on oversight work including outreach at Juneteenth, training for visiting officials, participation in webinars on parent-arrest policies, and biweekly meetings of the commission’s body-camera working group led by Deputy Chief Ali and Commander Moser. Hicks said the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee recommended the 4.25 new positions included in the mayor’s proposed budget and noted OCC mediation figures (27 cases to date, five in June).

Commissioners asked questions about year-to-date crime counts and budget advocacy; Chair and commissioners praised staff advocacy and emphasized the importance of OCC staffing to support oversight. The commission did not take formal budget votes at the meeting but scheduled related budget hearings on July 14, July 21 (first vote) and July 28 (second vote) as noted by Director Hicks.