SFPD study finds patterns in officer-involved shootings; commissioners pause before authorizing taser policy

Assistant Chief Tabak presented a department review of 15 officer-involved shootings spanning a five‑year interval, saying the study’s central finding is “there is no greater responsibility placed on members of law enforcement than the authority to use lethal force” and recommending a package of policy and training changes. The report, posted Jan. 20, examined events from pre-incident to post-incident and, Tabak said, was driven by aggregated data rather than anecdote. Tabak told the commission 15 shootings occurred in the study window (8 fatal, 7 nonfatal); 14 of the events happened within 15 feet and 13 in five minutes or less, and toxicology showed significant substances on board in most tested subjects.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the study gives new evidentiary footing for rethinking tools and procedures that officers have available in very short, close-distance encounters — a context where a less-lethal option could change outcomes. The department proposed several concrete changes: prohibit shooting at moving vehicles, require a captain-ranked officer to respond and standardize numbering and reporting of OIS investigations. The report also urged expansion of crisis intervention training and post‑event outreach and counseling for both officers and affected communities.

Outside experts — the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a multi-city academic review and medical researchers — joined local witnesses in a multi-hour hearing that focused on whether San Francisco should allow conducted energy devices (CEDs, commonly called TASERs) as a departmental option. PERF’s presenters emphasized two consistent themes: careful, phased implementation with community outreach and mandatory, high‑quality training and reporting requirements. PERF staff described national guidance and a multi‑agency research effort that PERF said found agencies deploying CEDs had lower rates of injuries to officers and suspects on several measures.

Civil‑liberties and medical voices urged caution. Scott Greenwood of the ACLU, who reviewed the city’s OIS study at the department’s request, urged modernizing General Order 5.01 to add less‑lethal options but emphasized strict policy limits, robust reporting and community involvement. Medical witnesses and the chief medical examiner’s office highlighted uncertainty around rare cardiac outcomes and the special risks that intoxication or excited delirium may pose; they urged protocols for medical evaluation and constrained targeting recommendations (for example, manufacturer guidance to avoid chest targeting when practicable).

Commission debate and procedural result: Commissioners praised the depth of the OIS report but split over whether to immediately authorize the chief to draft CED policy and implementation plans. After extended discussion and public testimony — including a Tenderloin task‑force officer who told the commission his January confrontation with a large, combative suspect lasted about 40 seconds and came close to requiring deadly force — the commission held two separate actions. An initial motion to authorize the chief to develop modifications to Department General Orders to include CED policies failed in roll call. Commissioners then moved to continue the matter for two weeks and recalendar it as an action item for the March 3 meeting to allow additional community input; that continuance passed unanimously. The chief said any full rollout would be gradual and would likely take about a year to implement after policy, procurement and training work.

What’s next: The commission rescheduled item 4 for March 3 to allow the department to present a draft policy, to circulate the underlying studies the panelists cited and to collect stakeholder feedback. Commissioners and the department said they expect a lengthy concurrence process involving the city attorney, the Office of Citizen Complaints, community groups and oversight commissioners before any CEDs would be deployed.

Representative quotes: Assistant Chief Tabak said, “There is no greater responsibility placed on members of law enforcement than the authority to use lethal force,” summarizing why the report focuses on process and prevention. Sergeant Joe McCloskey, describing a recent store confrontation in the Tenderloin, said, “This incident…lasted 40 seconds,” and recounted how he briefly had his firearm drawn. Scott Greenwood (ACLU) said the city’s OIS study was “exceedingly sound” and urged strong reporting and community engagement if less‑lethal options are introduced.

Limitations: The study focuses on OIS incidents that met the department’s prior definition and uses aggregate data; commissioners and staff stressed that some comparisons to other cities required careful alignment of definitions. Several commissioners asked for the primary studies cited by PERF, the University of South Carolina and NIJ so they could vet the underlying analyses before final policy decisions.

The commission is expected to take up the item again on March 3, when the department will present a draft policy and the public will have another opportunity to comment.