San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - January 18, 2023

The San Francisco Police Commission met on January 18, 2023, at 1:45 PM to address a full agenda including public comment, consent calendar items, departmental reports, consideration of a revised Field Training Program DGO, the SFPD budget, a collaborative reform update, and a closed session. Key themes included staffing shortages, crime trends, police accountability, and community concerns about unsolved cases, racial disparities, and the Tenderloin drug market.

Consent Calendar

• SFPD SB 1421 and SB 16 Report & DPA SB 1421 and SB 16 Report: The commission voted unanimously (7-0) to receive and file the reports. No public comment was offered.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Paulette Brown (mother of Aubrey Abacasa, murdered in 2006) pleaded for justice, stating that a $250,000 reward has not been paid and that perpetrators' names are known. She urged the commission not to let her pleas fall on deaf ears.
• David Elliott Lewis (civilian member of SFPD Crisis Intervention Training team) raised critical staffing shortages: the CIT unit is down to 3 active members out of a minimum need of 8, impairing its national model training and response capacity.
• Susan Buckman (District 6, volunteer with Parity for the Black Community) expressed frustration over persistent anti-black disparities in use of force, arrests, and traffic stops. She questioned data changes in the Q2 2022 report that showed a drop from Black people being 15 times more likely to face force to 9 times, while 'unknown/other' race reports doubled.
• Prativoteki (Tenderloin Housing Clinic, Central City SOROT Collaborative) criticized the city for treating the Tenderloin as a containment zone for open-air drug dealing and demanded a clear community policing plan.
• Gloria Barry (District 10) urged SFPD to finalize evidence in the Collier Gwynn case (homeless woman assault) and stated that commission meetings do not constitute community outreach, echoing a prior comment by Commissioner Walker.
• Francisco De Costa highlighted inconsistencies in reward amounts for homicide tips and alleged that police misled the community about a victim's condition.
• Kate Haj (volunteer with Parity for Black Community) echoed concerns about data transparency and criticized community policing implementation as officers standing in groups rather than engaging with residents.
• Ramona Burton (sister of Mark Anthony Coates) called for revisiting the tip reward process and deploying more functional cameras in areas with gunshot detection.
• Additional public comment during the Chief's Report: Paulette Brown returned to discuss ghost guns; Gloria Barry noted a typo in the meeting access code and warned against criminalizing homeless individuals who refuse services.

Discussion Items

• Chief's Report (Item 3): Chief William Scott provided an update on significant incidents, including: the investigation into a person sprayed with a water hose (ongoing, working with DA); a catalytic converter theft where suspects fired at officers (one in custody); 17 car break-ins on Filbert Street (January 15); three shooting incidents (including four victims in one Mission district incident); a juvenile robbery on January 14 (three suspects arrested). The department's community liaison unit offered services to 8 crime victims that week. Corrections to crime trend data (robbery arrow direction) were noted. Commissioners discussed the Collier Gwynn arrest warrant (confirmed), the live-monitoring ordinance (not yet used), the MLU negotiations (meeting with mediator scheduled), and a federal injunction on homeless encampments (no change). Commissioner Yee asked about a shooting spike in the Mission (four in one incident) and community violence response. Commissioner Yannis announced confidential gun drop-off option at district stations and inquired about future gun buybacks (United Players holds two per year).
• DPA Director's Report (Item 4): Director Paul Henderson reported that so far in 2023, DPA has opened 17 cases, closed 17, with 271 pending open (0 sustained or mediated). 31 cases have exceeded nine months; 21 are tolled due to ancillary litigation. A know-your-rights training was held for 40 students at John O'Connell High School. DPA and the Controller are completing a follow-up review of SFPD's 24-month responses to the 2020 use of force audit; results are due back from SFPD on January 20. Future reports will include outstanding issues related to late filings in investigations, audit, and policy.
• Commission Reports (Item 5): Commissioner Benedicto updated on DGO progress: 5.16 (search warrants) nearing final commission action, 7.01 (juveniles) advancing, 10.11 (body cameras) and 3.01 deadlines being monitored. Vice President Carter Oberstone honored former deputy city attorney Zach Porianda for his service. Commissioner Yee reported meeting with Ingleside station captain and APAC; community concerns about crime reporting for monolingual speakers. Commissioner Yannis mentioned ongoing work on juvenile DGO, early intervention system, social media DGO, and community policing manual. President Elias thanked DPA and IA for training on discipline at Richmond station.
• Department General Order 3.13 – Field Training Program (Item 6): The commission approved (7-0) the revised DGO (last updated 1998) authorizing the department to meet and confer with bargaining units. The motion included instructions to negotiate only on matters within scope of representation and to avoid unreasonable delays. A public comment asked about incorporating community interaction training; no other public testimony was offered.
• SFPD Budget Update (Item 7): CFO Patrick Leong presented a detailed budget overview. Key points: The mayor instructed departments to reduce 5% of adjusted general fund support (additional 3% next year). SFPD priorities are hiring/recruitment (64 new hires in 2022), overtime ($47.2M actual vs $14.6M budgeted last year), technology (new RMS system), management support, and civilianization. Sworn staffing stands at 1,788 (including 28 recruits), down 331 officers in 3 years, with 384 eligible to retire. The city is 537 officers below the Prop E staffing recommendation of 2,182. Response times are deteriorating: Priority A calls over 9 minutes (target 8), Priority B over 33 minutes (target 20), Priority C over 76 minutes (target 60). Calls for service dropped 38% since 2019, primarily due to reduction in officers' on-view activity. Violent crime is up 6.2% for 2022. Commissioners questioned retirement eligibility, response time drivers, civil dispute calls, budget allocations (90% wages), interdepartmental charges, SB 960 non-citizen hiring, body camera holster activation, training budget, and civilianization efforts. Public comment included calls to address attrition and conduct a needs assessment.
• Collaborative Reform Initiative Quarterly Update (Item 8): Sergeant Gabriel Rivera reported that of 272 original recommendations, 245 are substantially compliant, leaving 27 open. Sustainability efforts continue; a contract with Jensen Hughes was finalized. Four project plans address remaining recommendations: use of force/arrest data collection; data-informed personnel development; community policing (manuals and plans); and management tools/discipline metrics. Standalone recommendations include complaint data aggregation, strategic plan, community policing manual, and disparate deadly force analysis (timeline extended). The commission voted unanimously (6-0) to receive and file the report.
• Closed Session Items (Items 9-12): After public comment on closed session matters, the commission voted to proceed into closed session. Upon return, the commission voted (unanimously) to not disclose Item 11 except for Items 11C and 11D, which Commissioner Benedicto argued fall outside the scope of representation and are legally required to be public under the Brown Act. This mirrors a prior transparency action from October 12, 2022.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
• DGO 3.13 (Field Training Program): Approved for meet and confer with specific instructions on scope of bargaining.
• SFPD Budget Update: Received; a follow-up presentation is scheduled for February 8, 2023.
• Collaborative Reform Initiative Update: Received and filed.
• Closed Session Disclosure: Only Items 11C and 11D will be made public; all other closed session discussions remain undisclosed.