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Chief reports reduction in most crimes but pursuit at 24th & Van Ness injured six; commissioners seek deeper review
Summary
Chief Scott told the commission overall Part 1 crimes are down but detailed a February pursuit that ended at 24th & Van Ness, striking a parklet and injuring six people; commissioners pressed the chief about whether the pursuit would have been allowed under the pre-Prop E policy, the timing of supervisory oversight, and the role of drones or StarChase in avoiding high-speed termination.
Chief Scott opened the weekly report on Feb. 12 with a review of crime trends — the department reported a 36% reduction in Part 1 crimes year-to-date, driven largely by lower car burglaries — but the meeting gravitated to a recent vehicle pursuit that terminated on 24th Street at South Van Ness.
Chief Scott described the incident: a flock alert identified a wanted vehicle for felony grand theft originating in Berkeley; officers attempted a stop, the driver fled, and a pursuit ended when the suspect's vehicle struck an occupied parklet, injuring six people (two with serious injuries, which the chief described as non-life-threatening). The chief said detectives are reviewing whether departmental pursuit policy and supervisory review were followed and noted public interest in the case.
Commissioners asked detailed operational questions: whether the flock alert for grand theft would have authorized pursuit under the legacy policy (several commissioners noted the pre-Prop E policy was more restrictive on property crimes). Chief Scott said such pursuits were not necessarily authorized pre-Prop E but that the revised policy could authorize them depending on circumstances. He also said he did not yet know whether a supervisor monitoring the pursuit directed its termination; commissioners requested a full agenda item with a timeline and policy analysis once investigation materials are available.
Members pressed the department on tools intended to reduce pursuit risk. The chief confirmed drones were not deployed for the chase, saying current district drones lack the speed/range to follow a high-speed pursuit and SFPD must still obtain beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) FAA waivers. He also said SFPD is piloting StarChase GPS tagging, with limited deployments so far.
Commissioners asked for a more detailed chief's report next week narrowing implementation dates for the Serious Incident Review Board (SIRB) and clarifying whether this event would be subject to SIRB review. Vice President Carter Oberstone and other commissioners also urged an assessment of how Prop E's changes have affected pursuits and whether the commission should recommend policy revisions.
Next steps: Commissioners requested a timeline and materials on the pursuit for a future full agenda item; the department said it will provide dates for SIRB implementation and any materials sent to the Board of Supervisors about the incident.
