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Police commission to reschedule TASER community hearings after public concerns
Summary
Public commenters and commissioners agreed to redesign and reschedule community meetings on proposed TASER deployment, with a focus on holding inclusive, neighborhood-level town halls and possibly limiting TASERs to officers trained in crisis intervention (CIT).
San Francisco Police Commission members agreed Oct. 24 to reschedule a series of community meetings on proposed TASER (less-lethal electronic control device) use after public criticism that earlier sessions had been canceled and were not held in neighborhoods such as the Bayview, Mission and Tenderloin.
During the public-comment period, Bridal Lyon of the San Francisco Grey Panthers said the commission appeared to be moving toward TASER adoption through a “shadowy” process and that planned hearings had been canceled without adequate outreach to communities that statistics suggest are disproportionately affected. President Masuko and Deputy Chief Lynn Tomioka responded that the meetings are being rescheduled and that the commission will work with neighborhood stakeholders to choose locations and formats that reach broad parts of the city.
Why it matters: How and where the Police Department receives community input on TASER policy will shape whether residents feel heard on a use-of-force tool that civil‑rights advocates have said disproportionately affects communities of color. Commissioners indicated they want more inclusive town‑hall–style formats rather than standard commission meetings.
Commissioner Chan said the department and commission will meet this Friday with Commissioners Loftus and Turman and Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC) staff to plan an outreach approach that better represents different neighborhoods. Commissioners discussed a model in which the department makes a short presentation followed by open discussion and ground rules, emphasizing calm and direct feedback.
Deputy Chief Tomioka confirmed the department’s current proposal would limit TASER issuance to officers who have completed CIT (Crisis Intervention Training), a de‑escalation curriculum the department is expanding. Commissioners requested a report on how many officers have completed CIT, the station distribution of trained officers, and examples of CIT use in the field before finalizing any TASER policy.
Next steps: The commission said it will reschedule the neighborhood meetings, broaden locations to include areas cited by public commenters, and return with a plan for outreach and a CIT‑training update at a future meeting.
