Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Police commission pauses vote on charter amendment that would let chief suspend officers up to 45 days
Summary
Supervisor Ellsberg presented a charter amendment to let the police chief suspend officers up to 45 days (current limit 10). Commissioners and public commenters raised concerns about oversight, OCC notification, transparency under the Copley decision and unintended consequences; the commission continued the item for at least one week.
The San Francisco Police Commission on June 13 paused consideration of a proposed charter amendment that would let the police chief suspend an officer for up to 45 days without the commission—s review.
Supervisor Ellsberg, who asked that the item be taken out of order, said the two-page amendment responds to three problems: a heavy disciplinary docket that slows other commission work, a need for the commission to focus on big policy issues, and low rank-and-file morale tied to uncertainty about discipline. "This proposal would allow the police chief to suspend officers up to 45 days," Ellsberg said, adding that anything longer would remain with the commission.
Supporters said the change would speed resolution of routine matters and free the commission to focus on policy. Commissioner Marshall told Ellsberg the system is "slow, cumbersome" and that "anything that speeds up the process" is welcome. Several speakers said…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
