Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee agrees to study merger of police and sheriff functions
Summary
Supervisor Daly presented a charter amendment to convene a public committee to study merging the Police Department into the Sheriff's Department; the committee accepted an amendment of the whole and continued the item for further review.
The Rules Committee on June 18 considered a charter amendment (introduced by Supervisor Daly) that would place a measure on the ballot asking voters to authorize a study and potential merger of the Police Department and Sheriff’s Department. Daly cited a 1999 Civil Grand Jury recommendation and examples elsewhere as a basis for examining potential efficiencies.
Under the amended draft accepted by the committee, a public study committee (with appointees from the mayor and the Board of Supervisors, plus designated city officials such as the controller and chiefs or their designees) would examine whether a merger would deliver long-term savings (verified by the controller and budget analyst), preserve citizens’ rights to file complaints (Office of Citizen Complaints), and enhance public safety. The committee would issue a report with recommendations by April 16 (year in draft), and the Board could then decide whether to adopt specific findings that would permit a merger to proceed. If approved, the amendment anticipates extended labor negotiations and set a possible target date of January 8, 2012 for completing implementation steps if a merger were authorized.
Supervisor Aliotta Pier moved to accept the amendment of the whole; the committee took the amendment without objection and continued the item to the call of the chair, allowing additional drafting and outreach. The controller’s office provided a letter saying the administrative costs to support the study would be minimal and that the office was already planning related multi-year financial projections.
Supporters said a merged structure under an elected sheriff could increase accountability and responsiveness; opponents raised concerns about concentration of power and electoral outcomes. The committee did not finalize policy; it accepted an amended draft and asked staff to return the item with technical and calendar details.
