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Commission urges city to endorse AB 1648 to restore wider access to police discipline records
Summary
The Police Commission adopted a resolution urging the mayor and Board of Supervisors to support Assembly Bill 1648, a state bill to require broader disclosure of sustained peace officer records; public commenters were split between police‑privacy concerns and civil‑rights groups pushing for transparency.
The San Francisco Police Commission voted to adopt a resolution urging Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors to endorse Assembly Bill 1648, legislation authored by Assemblyman Mark Leno that would alter how peace‑officer disciplinary records are released statewide.
The resolution’s author told the commission the measure seeks to restore public access that was curtailed by court decisions and would return the city to a more transparent discipline process. John Tennant, general counsel for the San Francisco Police Officers Association, told commissioners AB 1648 "goes far too far in the wrong direction," arguing the bill would erode officer privacy protections and risk safety; he urged negotiation and delay rather than immediate endorsement. By contrast, Mark Schlossberg of the ACLU of Northern California urged support to reverse the Copley Press decision and to make sustained‑complaint summaries public to bolster accountability.
Chief Fong said she supports transparency "whenever possible" while emphasizing that officers facing discipline should retain the option of open or closed hearings and noting the department already posts dispositions by case number on its website (without names). Commissioners debated the balance between accountability and privacy and considered historical context raised by both labor and civil‑rights speakers.
A motion to adopt the resolution carried on a roll call; Commissioners Petra de Jesus, Yvonne Lee, Joe Marshall and Theresa Sparks voted in favor and the chair announced the motion carried.
The resolution asks the mayor and Board of Supervisors to endorse AB 1648 and to work with the City’s legislative delegation on any needed refinements. The commission did not change any local policy in this vote; the action is a formal endorsement request to executive and legislative city officials.
The commission next steps include transmitting the adopted resolution to the mayor’s office and Board of Supervisors and monitoring any amendments or negotiations on the state bill.
