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Chief details gun‑trafficking investigation, supplemental funding request and defends limited review of city phone records
Summary
The chief told the commission of a multi‑jurisdictional gun‑trafficking probe that tracked 58 firearms (18 recovered in San Francisco) and described a pending supplemental budget to extend anti‑violence overtime and add 10 police service aides. The chief also defended investigators’ limited review of city phone bills in an inquiry into an unauthorized personnel memo, saying legal counsel advised the steps and no conversation monitoring occurred.
Chief DeBach updated the commission on a violence‑reduction supplemental before the Board of Supervisors, a long‑running gun‑trafficking investigation and an internal probe of how an internal personnel memorandum was leaked to the press.
On budget, the chief asked the commission to consider a letter urging the Board to calendar a supplemental that would fund extended hours for tactical units and Honda motorcycles in targeted hot spots and add 10 police service aides (in addition to eight vehicle maintenance civilian positions already budgeted). The chief said the supplemental would extend current overtime and specialist deployments "into the fall months" but would not fund a full fiscal year.
On enforcement, the chief described an 11‑month investigation in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF targeting a straw‑purchase scheme that brought guns into San Francisco. "We tracked 58 firearms that were purchased through the straw sale scheme," the chief said, adding that 18 weapons have been recovered in San Francisco and that two people have been indicted.
The chief also addressed a newspaper article alleging improper monitoring of press communications. He said investigators reviewed the department’s own phone bills after consulting with the city attorney and that "at no time did we engage in any actual monitoring of any conversation," characterizing the steps taken as focused, limited and supported by legal advice. Commissioners expressed concern about perception: several members said reviewing records associated with press lines could damage media relations even if the steps were lawfully undertaken.
The commission asked Sergeant Riley to prepare a letter in support of calendaring the supplemental; commissioners agreed to provide oversight and to ask the department for specifics about how long the supplemental funding would sustain violence‑reduction deployments.
Next steps: Sergeant Riley will draft a letter asking the Board of Supervisors to calendar the supplemental; the department will provide additional supplemental details and the commission will continue oversight of supplemental spending.
