Police commission to review policy on shooting at moving vehicles in closed session

The San Francisco Police Commission on Dec. 1 agreed to schedule review of revisions to the departmentgeneral order governing shootings at moving vehicles and to begin deliberations in closed session next week because of potential litigation.

Commissioner James Hammer urged prompt action after receiving drafts from the city attorney, saying the issue "is really important both for our officers and for citizens." City Attorney Porter told the commission the office was "still looking at the bases for closed session" and would identify appropriate grounds or alternative options before the meeting.

Chair Thomas Mazuko said the commission and the chief have been working with the city attorneyand that the review would be calendared for a closed session next week; the commission also discussed returning to open session to report any permissible findings. Hammer emphasized the policychange is intended to reduce risk to officers and bystanders, noting newer policing guidance encourages officers to "get out of the way of the car rather than just shooting at it." The commission's scheduling discussion also noted progress reports on General Orders 810 and 517 would appear on the Dec. 8 agenda.

No substantive policy amendment was adopted at the Dec. 1 meeting; instead commissioners directed staff and counsel to continue drafting and to present recommended text and legal grounds for closed-session review at the next meeting. A separate vote taken that evening approved moving into closed session to address disciplinary matters; the commission later voted to disclose "none" of the closed-session discussion.