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Sheriff Hennessy testifies he grabbed his wife's arm and pleaded to false imprisonment; commission questions disciplinary implications
Summary
During opening examination, Sheriff Hennessy acknowledged grabbing his wife's arm on Dec. 31, giving rise to a bruise, and said he pleaded to Penal Code §236; commissioners and counsel reviewed department standards that define misconduct to include misdemeanor convictions and discussed how those rules apply to an elected sheriff.
Sheriff Michael Hennessy testified under oath at the San Francisco Ethics Commission’s special session, acknowledging that he grabbed his wife’s arm during an argument on Dec. 31 and that the incident resulted in a bruise. Under questioning, the sheriff said he pleaded to Penal Code §236 (false imprisonment) and that one condition of his sentence was 52 weeks of domestic-violence counseling.
Counsel for the mayor walked the sheriff through the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department’s written rules (Mayor’s Exhibit 13), including the department’s “Standard of conduct,” which requires employees to avoid conduct that brings the department into disrepute, and the departmental definition of misconduct that lists conviction of any felony or misdemeanor as falling below department standards. The sheriff acknowledged that a plea to a misdemeanor falls below those standards and said such conduct could reflect poorly on the department.
Why it matters: The sheriff is the elected head of the city’s primary custodial and court-security agency, with direct supervisory authority over approximately 890 sworn deputies, 130 civilians, and a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar budget. Commissioners probed whether off‑duty criminal conduct and the resulting conviction bear on the sheriff’s fitness for office and on internal standards that deputies look to in leading by example.
Details from the testimony: When asked whether he had used force on his wife, the sheriff said, “I grabbed my wife's arm and bruised it” and said he regretted the conduct and accepted responsibility. He confirmed he was serving sentence conditions that included domestic-violence counseling and that the sheriff’s department has written rules requiring truthfulness and cooperation with investigations.
Commission procedure and evidentiary limits: Counsel and commissioners frequently objected to questions that called for legal conclusions or strayed into matters protected by privilege; the chair sustained or overruled objections as appropriate. The commission also discussed weight to be given to declarations vs. live testimony, and required that witnesses who submit declarations but do not submit to cross-examination will have their declarations given less weight in the record.
Next steps: The hearing recessed for the night after counsel introduced text-message exhibits and began questions about campaign contacts; the commission will resume to continue examining the sheriff, followed by planned testimony from the mayor and other witnesses.
