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Residents, activists press commission for community‑led review before any TASER deployment; meetings scheduled across city
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the Police Commission to halt TASER (conducted energy device) rollout pending broad community consultation, expert medical testimony and targeted meetings in neighborhoods likely to see use. The commission announced three community engagement sessions and commissioners reiterated a February resolution requiring community input.
A string of public commenters at the Police Commission’s Southern Station meeting urged the commission to delay or reject issuance of conducted energy devices (commonly called TASERs) to the San Francisco Police Department until the city holds extensive community consultation and solicits independent medical and mental‑health expertise.
Speakers included task‑force and advocacy representatives who said they were preparing or had submitted written reports to the commission subcommittee. Jeremy Miller (Iberstelli Foundation / Notaser Task Force) told commissioners his group’s review "overwhelmingly" opposes TASER issuance and cited a range of reports; he said various reporting agencies’ tallies range from roughly 300 to 700 TASER‑related deaths since the devices were introduced. Another speaker described a personal family incident in which his daughter was tasered and called the device a "torture device to force compliance." Rebecca Ruiz Lichter (Idris Stolly Foundation) reminded the commission of a Feb. 23 resolution that required community involvement — specifically LGBT communities, communities of color and mental‑health professionals — before implementation.
Commission staff announced a schedule of community meetings intended for outreach and public testimony: Oct. 22 at Hamilton Recreation Center (1900 Cayuga Boulevard), Oct. 23 at the Scottish Rite Cultural Center (2850 19th Avenue) and Oct. 30 at Downtown High School (693 Vermont Street). Commissioners and community members repeatedly requested independent expert testimony from medical and mental‑health professionals rather than vendor presentations.
Why it matters: Commenters emphasized health and equity concerns for vulnerable groups (people with mental‑health crises, pregnant women, seniors, and communities of color), noted litigation and liability risks cited in external reports, and asked that any policy decision respect the February resolution's required community consultation. The commission directed staff to hold the announced outreach sessions and accepted community reports submitted to the subcommittee.
Outcomes and next steps: The commission confirmed the outreach dates and locations and commissioners said they would consider submitted reports and follow up as appropriate; no formal policy vote occurred at the meeting. Speakers asked the commission to prioritize neighborhood meetings in areas where deployment might most frequently occur (for example, Tenderloin and Bayview/Mission neighborhoods).
