Transgender residents and others tell commission they fear profiling and police misconduct

During public comment, speakers told the Police Commission they experience profiling and intimidating conduct from officers in San Francisco.

An unidentified speaker who identified as a trans woman said police behavior has made members of the trans community afraid to be in public and described repeated instances where patrol cars would follow or slow alongside groups of trans women. "I'm more afraid of the police officers than having a gang banger," the speaker said, and urged the commission to address the conduct and make sure specific incidents are reported to the Office of Citizen Complaints.

Morena Castaneda, a San Francisco resident for 40 years, gave a detailed complaint about an incident she said occurred on Friday, May 11 at approximately 9:45 a.m. near Monterey Boulevard, describing two patrol cars circling the area and behavior she experienced as intimidating. Castaneda also recounted earlier negative experiences with officers and asked that the commission and Chief Fong investigate officer conduct.

Vice President Campos responded by reminding members of the public that the Office of Citizen Complaints and Interim Director Dean Field are available to receive formal reports; staff asked those with specific incidents to report them to OCC so the department can investigate.

Commissioners and the chief acknowledged the comments and emphasized the department's mechanisms for handling complaints and that the commission would be attentive to community concerns. The meeting record shows these remarks were offered during general public comment and that commissioners pointed speakers toward formal complaint channels rather than conducting an on-the-spot investigation.