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SFPDcommunity policing order draws praise and questions about how it will be implemented
Summary
San Francisco Police leaders and the Police Commission discussed a proposed community policing Department General Order; supporters called it a long-overdue codification of community policing principles while commissioners and public commenters pressed for concrete implementation steps, language access and performance measures before the Sept. 28 adoption vote at the Mission community meeting.
The San Francisco Police Commission heard a multi-part discussion Sept. 21 about a proposed Department General Order that would codify community policing as department policy and move it to the front of the general orders manual.
Chief of Police (as announced on the dais) and staff said the order is the result of months of drafting with input from the Board of Supervisors and community groups and is intended to make community policing a formal department policy that all officers must know and follow. "By putting this in, every officer in the San Francisco Police Department is accountable to it," the chief said, describing the document as a policy, not a stand-alone program, and noting a complementary best-practices manual will provide operational examples and training resources.
Commissioners and community speakers generally praised the draft but asked for clarification on how the department will turn high-level standards into day-to-day practice. Commissioner Angela Chan asked, "Who will be carrying, who will be implementing the community policing DGO? Will it be under admin?" The chief replied that the departments command structure will hold officers accountable through supervisory counseling and that the best-practices manual will offer concrete examples for implementation.
Public commenters said codification was welcome but urged the Commission to ensure the order does not remain only aspirational. Summer Harada of the Coalition for Safe San Francisco said a bureau order alone "is not enough" and warned that communities want oversight and tangible protections; other speakers asked for better outreach and written materials so residents understand what the order means in practice.
Commissioners also asked for measurable follow-ups. Chan suggested the Commission and department review the orders effects three or six months after adoption to assess changes on the ground. Commissioners and the chief agreed that training, foot-beat staffing and concrete examples in the best-practices manual will be central to demonstrating whether the order changes daily policing.
The Commission did not take a final vote Sept. 21. Staff explained the item was agendized for discussion to meet the charters 10-day notice requirement; the Commission expects to consider final action at a community meeting in the Mission District on Sept. 28 to allow broader public input.
What happens next: the Commission will hold the scheduled Mission community meeting (Sept. 28) where the Commission has signaled it intends to vote on the DGO after giving commissioners time to review the draft and community members a chance to comment. The chief and staff said they would accept limited language additions (for example, language access wording suggested by Commissioner Chan) and circulate the best-practices manual that will accompany the DGO.
