S.F. police chief reports 25th homicide of year, says Planned Parenthood crowd-control enforcement has calmed activity

Chief of Police Greg Rippieser told the San Francisco Police Commission on Sept. 3, 2014 that the city had suffered its 25th homicide of the year: a 14-year-old male was stabbed on the 2900 block of Folsom Street and a 14-year-old suspect had been identified and arrested. "Very sadly last night San Francisco suffered its 25th homicide of the year on the 2900 Block Of Folsom Street," Rippieser said, and confirmed the suspect is a juvenile so the department will not identify him.

Rippieser also updated commissioners on enforcement around Planned Parenthood after a recent Supreme Court decision affecting buffer zones. He said the department began strictly enforcing Municipal Police Code section 122, which prohibits aggressive pursuit and malicious repeated following or harassment, and that those engaging in such behavior were admonished; "since then there have been no subsequent violations," he said, and no one had been cited or arrested under the code to date. The chief said the mayor and Supervisor Cohen are working on local legislation modeled on a Massachusetts ordinance that would impose a specific-distance restriction after initial contact.

On pedestrian safety, Rippieser said the department hosted a chief-level summit and adopted new scene-sighting policies; he reported vehicle collisions and pedestrian fatalities were down year-to-date. In response to a commissioner's question, he noted the city had 21 pedestrian fatalities the prior year and that roughly seven occurred in December, and he described ongoing recruitment and training plans for new officers.

The chief also described community events including a regional motorcycle skills competition at Piers 30-32 and collaborative work with outside traffic-safety experts.

The Commission asked follow-up questions about the fatality numbers and staffing; the chief said he would provide additional details on training and class schedules.