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Commission hears plan to require captains and above to requalify annually; staff to issue bulletin now
Summary
Deputy chiefs presented a proposed range requalification policy asking captains and above to qualify at least once per year; commissioners asked for disability clarifications and agreed staff should issue a department bulletin immediately and use it as the basis to amend Department General Order 10.02.
Deputy- and assistant-level staff told the Police Commission on July 16 that the San Francisco Police Department will implement a range requalification policy requiring captains and above to qualify at least once per year and to improve tracking of qualification dates.
The presenter said the proposed policy closes an informal gap where captains and higher command had often been excluded from frequent requalification. "The policy that we're presenting to you tonight requires that all captains and above qualify at least 1 time per year," the presenter said.
Commissioners raised operational questions, including how officers returning from disability would be handled. Staff clarified that members returning from extended disability must requalify before returning to duty and then re-enter the normal rotation.
Commissioners debated whether to adopt the requirement as a department bulletin, which can be issued quickly and reviewed within two years, or insert it directly into Department General Order (DGO) 10.02 so it becomes permanent and less likely to lapse. Staff recommended issuing a bulletin immediately to implement minimum floors for qualifications and then using that bulletin as the basis for a DGO revision after legal and concurrence review.
Commission President Teresa Sparks and other commissioners supported issuing the bulletin now with a plan to incorporate the policy into the DGO through the normal concurrence and legal process. Assistant Chief Lynch noted the bulletin approach allows flexibility for the range master to set course details while preserving minimum floors at the department level.
The commission did not record a formal roll-call vote on the policy during the meeting, but commissioners directed staff to publish the department bulletin promptly and begin the process to codify the requirement into the department general order.
