Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Taser Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee puts taser procurement funding on reserve pending cost and rollout details
Summary
After hearing differing cost estimates from SFPD and the BLA, supervisors voted to withhold first-year taser funding and place second-year money on reserve so the department can finalize procurement, unit pricing and a staged training/rollout plan.
The committee examined the Police Commission—s policy authorizing tasers and debated the budget implications of a department-wide rollout. SFPD estimated an implementation cost of roughly $3.5 million (device purchases and staged rollout), while the Budget Legislative Analyst calculated higher one-time and ongoing costs (one-time up to $7.2 million excluding some trainings and about $2.6 million ongoing). The BLA also noted $500,000 in body-camera-related data-integration funds previously set aside that could be applied to taser-camera integration.
Supervisors expressed concern about procurement unit-price uncertainty, the training schedule (SFPD cited 6–10 hours of device-specific training and a requirement that officers have 40-hour CIT training), and the operational logistics of staged deployment. Supervisor Fewer moved to eliminate first-year taser funding and place the second-year appropriation on reserve until SFPD completes procurement and provides a detailed rollout and training timeline. The motion passed on a roll-call vote (3 ayes, 2 noes).
Next steps: SFPD will return with procurement pricing, a detailed staged rollout and training timeline so the committee can evaluate final costs and deployment plans; without budget action the police commission—s policy will be dormant pending funding.
