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Police commission to consider joint hearing with Entertainment Commission after tourist homicide
Summary
Following a shooting that killed a tourist in a crowded area, the San Francisco Police Commission discussed holding a joint hearing with the Entertainment Commission to close permitting and promoter gaps and to quantify policing costs for unpermitted private events. Commissioners asked staff to place the issue on a near-term agenda.
The San Francisco Police Commission on Aug. 18 heard a report from Chief George Gascon that Part I crimes were down year-to-date but that a recent killing of a tourist in a crowded commercial area raised urgent questions about event permitting and public safety. Chief Gascon said the department has made arrests in the case but the investigation remains open. He told the commission the event "would have completely flown under the radar" of the Entertainment Commission because it was a private underage event promoted outside typical club permitting channels.
Commissioners responded by pressing for a coordinated response. Commissioner James Hammer and several colleagues proposed a joint hearing with the Entertainment Commission to identify regulatory gaps and to develop practices that would notify police when large private events are expected, allowing for external policing and crowd control. Commissioner Mazuko asked for information about the overtime and deployment cost the department incurs policing nightlife and impromptu events; other commissioners asked staff to prepare such a report.
Chief Gascon said the department supports a collaborative approach: "We have to figure out a way to plug this hole," he said, arguing that better cross-agency coordination with the Entertainment Commission, the Fire Department and promoter regulation is needed. Commissioners discussed calendaring the joint meeting for the commission's next month of business so that payment, permitting and enforcement questions can be addressed in time.
The commission did not take a binding vote to convene a joint hearing on Aug. 18 but members asked the chair and staff to place the matter on a near-term agenda for a decision and recommended collecting targeted data ahead of that meeting, including: how many police units are redeployed for weekend/nightlife events, overtime costs tied to promoter activity, and whether permit changes or promoter notification rules are needed.
Next step: commissioners asked Lieutenant Riley and department staff to produce a short briefing quantifying resource impacts and to return with proposed dates and a draft scope for a joint hearing so the commission can vote on scheduling and scope at an upcoming meeting.
