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Police auditors present two‑month Secure Communities report; commissioners weigh continued monitoring and data burdens
Summary
The ID Bureau reported July–August S‑COM live‑scan and ICE match counts, showing 2,145 live scans in July with 137 ICE matches and 149 matches in August; commissioners discussed the volume of labor to compile the report, sheriff's requests to opt out, and focusing future audits on level‑3 (serious) matches.
The San Francisco Police Department’s identification (ID) unit told the Police Commission on Sept. 15 that its audit of the federal Secure Communities (S‑COM) program produced consistent match rates for July and August and revealed a small number of high‑priority matches with felony histories.
"The total number of live scans for the month of July were 2,145," Gordon Baruso, ID section manager, told the commission. He said the unit logged 137 ICE matches in July and 149 matches in August. When the matches were sorted by NCIC level, the July breakdown was level‑1: 83, level‑2: 45, level‑3: 9; August showed level‑1: 76, level‑2: 63, level‑3: 10. Over the two months ID staff identified 19 level‑3 matches; Baruso said 15 of those 19 individuals had felony convictions outside San Francisco and 11 had arrests in other states.
Baruso said compiling the audit required roughly 200 man‑hours spread across 18 personnel. Commissioners asked whether the workload could be reduced. Commissioner (Angela Chan) suggested moving to less frequent reporting or placing the report on the consent calendar once the audit process stabilizes. Baruso said a new automated ABIS system under contract should simplify data capture and reduce staff time; full deployment is likely to take about a year.
Commissioner Chan and others also placed the local numbers in a national context, noting ICE told Bay City News it had deported 10 people from San Francisco in the last three months under S‑COM, six of whom ICE described as having no criminal background. Channeling national reports, Chan warned that many S‑COM deportations nationally were for lower‑level offenses.
Chief George Gascon said the mayor will decide whether the city participates in S‑COM, and that the department has engaged at the national level on S‑COM reform. Commissioners noted Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi (referred to by name in public statements) had already submitted requests to the state and federal authorities asking to opt out or delay activation; the sheriff’s office provided counts of releases to ICE that Baruso relayed — 55 released to ICE in July and 79 in August — and told the ID Bureau that some requested breakdowns were not administratively feasible.
What’s next: Commissioners asked the ID Bureau to explore ways to focus future audits on level‑3 matches and their criminal histories to reduce workload while preserving oversight of serious cases. The commission did not change policy on S‑COM participation at the meeting.
