Rules Committee delays confirmation of Police Commissioner nominee amid questions on discipline, tasers and Secure Communities

Chair David Campos and members of the Rules Committee on May 2030 continued consideration of Mayor’s nominee Joseph E. Marshall to the San Francisco Police Commission, citing unresolved questions about discipline processes, community input on use‑of‑force policies and the nominee’s position on a federal immigration information‑sharing program.

Marshall, a current police commissioner, told the committee he has worked to reduce the commission’s discipline backlog and cited recent procedural reforms. "A year ago we had 52 officers facing disciplinary charges. Today, 1 year later, we have 29," Marshall said as he described rule changes that he and the commission had adopted to speed hearings.

Committee members, including Vice Chair Supervisor Adeola appear and Supervisor Michaela Alioda Pier, pressed Marshall about whether the commission should preserve full oversight of disciplinary decisions while also reducing delay. Supervisors also pressed him over past comments during a debate about police tasers; the chair said some in the community heard Marshall’s earlier remarks as minimizing community influence on policy. Marshall told the committee he wanted chiefs to present concrete plans to community groups to give them something to react to, and he denied wanting to limit community input.

The exchange turned to immigration policy after supervisors asked where Marshall stands on Secure Communities, the federal‑state fingerprint‑sharing protocol that would expand data exchange with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Marshall said he respects San Francisco’s sanctuary status, but that "he had not studied it well enough" to give a firm policy position and committed to listening to immigrant‑rights groups.

Public testimony was mixed: several witnesses praised Marshall’s decades of community work with youth and violence prevention efforts, while others said his taser remarks and lack of a clear position on Secure Communities warranted a delay. After public comment, Supervisor Eric Marr moved to continue the item "until we hear a clear answer on the issues of immigrant rights and some of the other public safety issues that were raised." The roll call recorded in the committee showed the motion carried among those present.

What happens next: the item was continued to the Rules Committee’s next meeting (scheduled for June 3 in committee materials). The Committee’s action forwards the matter to more vetting rather than a final confirmation; if re‑noticed, the nomination will return to committee before a final referral to the full Board for confirmation.