Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Oversight topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Francisco Police Commission adopts minutes, hears public concerns and chief's report
Summary
At its Sept. 11, 2013 meeting at City Hall, the San Francisco Police Commission adopted minutes and consent items, heard public comment on recruitment and community safety, received a chief's report noting declines in homicides and updates on recruits, and voted to move into closed session on a personnel matter.
The San Francisco Police Commission met Sept. 11, 2013, at City Hall and confirmed a quorum before taking routine business. Commissioners voted to adopt minutes for prior months and approved the consent calendar, which included the SFPD and OCC second-quarter 2013 status reports."Line item 1," a commissioner said, "so moved," and the adoption passed by voice vote.
During the public-comment period Sergeant Yolanda Williams of the Officers for Justice (San Francisco Police Department) proposed a grassroots recruitment effort and left sample recruitment handouts for commission consideration, saying the group would make recruitment its "number 1 priority" to address declining numbers of African American applicants. Other members of the public raised unresolved homicide cases and pedestrian safety concerns; Paulette Brown displayed photos of her son and urged action in a 2006 murder that remains unsolved. One resident described repeated harassment by adult skateboarders and urged enforcement.
Chief of Police delivered the department's report, recounting several incidents in the prior week: the homicide of a San Francisco State student at Nineteenth and Holloway (a suspect in custody and charged), the arrest of a suspect in a homicide following a post-Giants-game altercation, and a fatal collision at Pine and Gough involving a Lincoln High School student (a suspect arrested). The chief said homicides are "down over 40%" and shootings "down over 20%" citywide, noted that 50 new recruits had started and 60 officers recently graduated, and described a department-wide brochure initiative for arrested juveniles to provide "Know Your Rights for Youth" materials in multiple languages.
Commissioners pressed the chief on timelines for district attorney charging decisions; the chief said charging decisions rest with the DA and requested any cell-phone video evidence from the public to assist investigations. Director Hicks of the Office of Civic Complaints (OCC) told commissioners that OCC staff attended the National Association for Civilian Oversight conference and will provide a September statistical report next week.
Before adjourning to a closed session on a personnel matter, the commission approved an honorary adjournment in memory of retired patrol special Johnny Candido. Upon return to open session the commission voted, citing San Francisco Administrative Code section 67.12(a), not to disclose discussions held in closed session and then adjourned.
