San Francisco Police Commission Regular Meeting - February 1, 2023
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San Francisco Police Commission Regular Meeting - February 1, 2023
The San Francisco Police Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, starting at approximately 1:45 PM Pacific time. The meeting included public comment, reports from the Chief of Police and the Department of Police Accountability (DPA), commission reports, a discussion on military equipment under AB 481, and approval of two revised Department General Orders (DGOs). The meeting was chaired by Vice President Carter Oberstone after a procedural opening led by Commissioner Kevin Benedicto in the President's absence.
Consent Calendar
- Adoption of Minutes (January 11 and January 18, 2023): Approved unanimously (6-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Paulette Brown (mother of murder victim Arbory Abracasa) pleaded for help solving her son's homicide, noting the lack of resolution and the pain shared by mothers of victims of both police and community violence. She urged the commission to prioritize unsolved cases.
- Barry Chironjo (taxi driver) complained about excessive street closures around Union Square on a Saturday night, causing lost income and difficulty accessing hotels. He asked for a way to file a claim for lost income.
- Sidon Buckman (District 6 resident, member of the Black Community) criticized Chief Scott's statement on the Tyree Nichols murder, arguing that praising the Memphis Police chief's response was insufficient. He called for firing corrupt officers, banning minor traffic stops, and genuine reform to prevent similar incidents in San Francisco.
- David Calderon (son of murder victim Carmelita Holbrook) accused the SFPD and DPA of delaying his case, pointing to inappropriate handling by a specific SFPOA representative. He requested help holding agencies accountable.
- Ramona Burton (sister of murder victim Mark Anthony Coates) reminded the commission of her brother's unsolved case and expressed solidarity with other grieving families.
- Cheryl Thornton (District 10 resident) supported Paulette Brown, emphasizing the disproportionate number of unsolved Black homicide cases and demanding resolution.
Discussion Items
- Chief's Report (Chief William Scott): Overall Part 1 serious crime was down 20% year-over-year for January 2023. Notable incidents included a homicide on January 28 (Missouri St.), a suspicious death in the Bayview, a non-injury shooting at California and Polk, a carjacking of an elderly couple at Laguna and Lombard, and a threat to a Jewish high school on January 26 (call traced to out-of-state). Two homicide arrests were made from cases dating to November 2021 and September 2022. The department prepared for the Lunar New Year Parade on February 4.
- DPA Director's Report (Chief of Staff Sarah Hawkins): Received 24 cases with 52 allegations in the prior two weeks, primarily for failure to take required action, inappropriate behavior, and failure to investigate. DPA participated in community outreach and station trainings. Two outstanding policy issues: DGO 6.18 (warrant arrests) and DGO 9.03 (DUI arrests) – both overdue. Commission discussed missed deadlines and the Chief committed to delivering draft DGO 6.18 to DPA by the end of the week.
- Commission Reports:
- Commissioner Walker: Noted no women in the 277th recruit class; urged a focus on the 30x30 pledge (women recruitment) and asked for an agenda item on recruitment obstacles. Also reported ongoing work on patrol specials, technology for body-worn cameras, and DGO revisions.
- Commissioner Benedicto: Highlighted that January 11 commission vote on DGO 9.07 (pretext stops) was especially timely following the Tyree Nichols killing. He read names of victims (Philando Castile, Willie McCoy, Dante Wright) and expressed pride in the city’s reform leadership.
- Commissioner Byrne: Described a ride-along in the Tenderloin on January 20, witnessing Sgt. Melissa Chung revive a woman overdosing on fentanyl after three Narcan doses. He criticized the lack of police resources at night and called for prioritizing life-saving efforts in the Tenderloin.
- Commissioner Yi: Reported on a community town hall in Chinatown (Jan. 20) and upcoming Lunar New Year celebration in Visitation Valley on Feb. 5. Echoed support for additional resources in the Tenderloin and praised the revival efforts.
- Sparks Report (3rd & 4th Quarter 2022) : Presented by Captain Dennis Doomer (WDU) and DPA Policy Director Janelle Kwood. The department currently processes 61 DGOs. Five were adopted by the commission in the period, six approved for meet and confer, and many others in various stages. Chief Scott noted the pace of policy work is unprecedented in his six years. DPA highlighted the foot pursuit policy as upcoming and emphasized that labeling it
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Pledge allegiance to the United States. For which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible Liberty and Justice for all. All right, good evening. This is the February 1st regular meeting of the San Francisco Police Commission. Before we call our first agenda item, I'll note that I'm Commissioner Kevin Bendicto, and our President is out today, and our Vice President is en route. And so if there are no objections from my fellow commissioners, I've been asked by our Vice President en route to chair for a few minutes while he works his way through traffic. Yes. But first off, I would like to ask the uh city attorney uh if the President and Vice President aren't uh present, who is designated to lead the meeting. Good evening, Commissioners. So under the rules of order, there is nobody who is designated. So you have a couple of options. You could have a pro tem, you could have an election in order to appoint someone as a pro tem, or you could um allow Commissioner Benedict if there is no objection, as I heard you state. Chair the meeting while uh Commissioner Vice President uh Carter Oberstone makes his way to the meeting. All right. So for the record, uh as I said, I have no objection tonight. Uh uh I would like uh my fellow commissioners. Do any of you have any objections? No. I have no objection as well. No objection. So but the point I want to make is that um that the precedent of um of the I'm not the senior commissioner of the group here tonight. Uh Commissioner Yi is. And I think it's it's incumbent on the President or the Vice President if they're not going to be here to start the meeting, that they at least notify the senior member and make an attempt to uh indicate who they wish to uh chair the meeting. And I want to make it clear that the agreement to go forward tonight is not a precedent that the president or the vice president can designate who leads uh who leads the meeting when uh both of them are absent. Um I I had a discussion with Commissioner uh Benedetto, and hopefully you can resolve this in the future DGO. Uh or it will be a commission resolution to our rules. Yes. But um but uh uh as I said, I uh I don't want to belabor the point, but thank you. All right. Uh Sergeant, please call the first item. Line item one, general public comment. At this time, the public is now welcome to address the commission for up to two minutes. I'm sorry, sorry to I didn't ask you to take roll. I apologize. Sure. All right. For taking roll. Commissioner Walker. Present. Commissioner Walker is present. Commissioner Benedicto. Present. Commissioner Yanes. Present. Commissioner Byrne. Here. Commissioner Yi.
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