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Public tells commission officers used slur; OCC says complaints filed and investigation will follow
Summary
Two members of the public told the Police Commission they filed OCC complaints alleging officers used an anti‑gay slur during a February stop; the OCC directed a senior investigator to follow up and said such slurs are taken as seriously as other derogatory language.
Two people who attended the May 6 Police Commission meeting said they had filed complaints with the Office of Citizen Complaints alleging that San Francisco officers used anti‑gay language while failing to apprehend teenage subjects.
Eric Newcomer, who identified himself as a Bay Area native, described an incident on Feb. 12 near Hyde and Eddy in which officers pursued three teenagers but ‘‘abandoned their efforts’’ before the chase ended. Newcomer told the commission an officer near him shouted, “pull up your pants, you faggots,” and that officers refused to give names when asked; he said he filed a formal OCC complaint about the episode and urged accountability.
Joyce Hicks, director of the OCC, thanked the speakers for filing complaints and said the agency takes gender‑preference and other slurs as seriously as the N‑word or other derogatory language. Hicks said a senior OCC investigator in the audience, Steve Ball, would follow up with the complainant to discuss the case, and she encouraged other observers to file complaints so the OCC can pursue a full investigation.
The commission’s chair noted that an investigation would follow when an OCC complaint is filed and reminded the public that the OCC and the department will review the matter; Director Hicks said the OCC could send periodic status letters to complainants while investigations remain open.
Status and next steps: the complainants indicated formal OCC complaints had been filed; Director Hicks and the OCC confirmed they would investigate, and a senior OCC investigator offered to meet with a complainant after the meeting.
