Police Commission mandates monthly public reporting on disciplinary docket and reserves regular hearing night

The San Francisco Police Commission on June 9 approved a package of measures intended to speed up disciplinary cases and make case status publicly visible. By unanimous vote the commission required the secretary to place a monthly status report on the first meeting of each month showing case counts, per-commissioner caseloads, assignment dates and notes about delays.

Commissioner James Hammer, who moved the measure, said the goal is accountability. "I would urge us tonight to adopt some new rules about transparency," Hammer said during the debate, arguing the public and the commission need an accurate, chronological picture of pending cases.

The new monthly report must include: number of officers with pending discipline cases; number in limited duty status because of pending cases; a chronological listing of pending cases with notes on age and the assigned commissioner; cases resolved in the preceding month and year-to-date totals; per-commissioner caseloads with the date each case was assigned to that commissioner; number of new cases assigned during the preceding month; and a secretary’s report on any significant deviation from the commission’s time limits for hearings.

Commissioners debated how to reflect cases that are delayed by external factors such as criminal proceedings, writs or settlements. Commissioner Petra de Jesus and others asked for a notation field so the public could see whether an old case was delayed because of pending court action rather than Commission inaction. The adopted motion includes a notes field to capture those caveats.

The Commission also voted unanimously to reserve the second Wednesday of each month, beginning in July, for full-commission disciplinary hearings on a limited agenda. Supporters said holding hearings as a full commission on scheduled evenings — rather than in ad-hoc single-commissioner sessions — will reduce continuances and transcript delays and help clear older matters. Several commissioners and staff noted transcript costs and staff workload and agreed the department would provide support to implement reporting.

The changes are intended to operationalize rules the commission adopted previously that limit the duration of ordinary hearings and set target timeframes for progress. Commissioners said monthly public reports and a dedicated hearing night will allow the Commission to monitor compliance with those time limits and prioritize the oldest cases.

The motion was moved by Commissioner James Hammer and seconded; it passed unanimously. Commissioners agreed to start the reserved hearing nights in July and asked President Joe Marshall and Lieutenant Riley to coordinate selection of the first cases and schedules.