OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Police Commission Meeting – April 19, 2023

Police Commission — Wednesday, April 19, 2023
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionPolice Commission
DateWednesday, April 19, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:00

Legislative to the flag of the United States of America.

0:06

One nation under God indivisible deliberately and justice.

0:13

President Lyons like to take roll.

0:15

Please.

0:15

Commissioner Walker.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Commissioner Benedicto.

0:19

President.

0:19

Commissioner Yanyez is excused.

0:21

Commissioner Byrne.

0:22

Here.

0:22

Commissioner Yi.

0:23

Here.

0:24

Vice President Carter Oberstone.

0:25

Present.

0:26

President Lyons, you have a quorum.

0:28

Also with us tonight is Chief Scott from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability.

0:34

Thank you.

0:36

Hello, everyone.

0:36

Welcome to our April 19th police commission meeting.

0:40

Sergeant, can you call the first item, please?

0:42

Line item one weekly officer recognition certificate.

0:45

Presentation of an officer who has gone above and beyond in the performance of their duties.

0:49

Officer Hamed Suleman.

0:52

Bayview station.

0:54

Hello, welcome.

0:56

This is our station.

0:57

I'm good to see you.

0:59

Thank you.

1:00

Mine too.

1:01

All right, good evening.

1:02

Thank you, Chief Scott.

1:03

Thank you, President Elias.

1:04

Good to see you again.

1:05

Yes.

1:06

Fellow Commissioners and our new acquaintance.

1:09

Uh Director Anderson, nice to meet you all.

1:12

My name is Captain Dave Marin.

1:13

I'm the commanding officer for Bayview Police Station.

1:15

I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak before all of you here tonight and to have the distinction to present my choice for an outstanding officer under my command to receive this police commission recognition award.

1:28

Before I begin, I would like to point out that Bayview Station has some of the hardest working police officers in the department, period.

1:35

Choosing just one officer for this award was not easy as we have many deserving candidates.

1:47

Back then he was assigned to the hardest shift in the department, the Midnight Watch.

1:53

Shortly after he was transferred to Bayview Station.

1:56

Let's fast forward now a few years.

1:57

I'm now the captain here at Bayview Police Station, and like a lot of other captains right now, we're having some staffing challenges and whatnot.

2:04

And of course, I had mine, and one of them included the footbeat detail.

2:09

In particular, the third street foot beat uh third street uh corridor.

2:13

Third street corridor in the Bayview is not an easy assignment.

2:16

Uh I will say that again, it is not an easy assignment.

2:19

And is often a place where many acts of crime and violence occur as you were later here.

2:25

Footbeat officers play a crucial role in maintaining public safety and building strong relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

2:34

Footbeat officers have greater opportunities to engage with residents, identify potential problems, and proactively address issues before they escalate.

2:44

Overall, the presence of footbeat officers helped to create safer and more connected communities.

2:50

One day, Officer Suleiman approached me in my office about filling that need and expressed his desire to become a footbeat officer in particular for the Third Street corridor.

3:00

Officer Suleiman felt he could better communicate and interact with members of the community, and working a footbeat would allow him that opportunity.

3:10

As we continued our conversation, it became quite clear that Officer Suleiman was the right choice and the right person for this assignment.

3:18

Besides his mild-mannered Clark Kent personality and his infectious smile.

3:25

Officer Suleiman continues to impress and exemplify what community policing is all about.

3:31

Creating a collaborative partnership between law enforcement and the community in order to prevent crime, solve problems, and improve the overall quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Police Oversight████████████████████27%
Public Comment█████7%
Public Safety██3%
Technology And Infrastructure█1%
Personnel Matters█1%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Police Commission Meeting – April 19, 2023

The San Francisco Police Commission held its regular meeting on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at City Hall. The meeting included an officer recognition, public comment on unsolved homicides and police conduct, reports from the Chief of Police and the Department of Police Accountability (DPA), commission reports, and a detailed update on the SFPD's 30x30 initiative to increase the representation of women in law enforcement. The commission also voted to enter closed session for pending litigation and to assert attorney-client privilege.

Consent Calendar

  • SFPD and DPA SB 1421 and SB 16 Monthly Reports: The commission unanimously voted (7-0) to receive and file the monthly reports for March 31, 2023. No public comment was offered.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • General Public Comment (Item 2): A mother of Aubrey Abacasa, murdered in 2006, pleaded for help solving her son's case and questioned where reward money is going. She stated that cases of white victims (e.g., Kate Steinle, Cash App stabbing victim) get solved while African American cases do not.
  • Item 4 (Chief’s Report) commenters: A French artist urged city agencies to unite; a speaker alleged unequal treatment of homicides based on race; another speaker alleged an officer harassed and threatened him after he filed a complaint.
  • Item 5 (DPA Report) commenter: A member of the public claimed an officer planted drugs on him, threatened to kill him, and that no investigation occurred.

Discussion Items

  • Chief’s Report (Item 4): Chief Scott reported overall crime down 10% year-to-date (≈1,500 fewer serious crimes). Violent crime up 4%; homicides even; gun violence victims down by 3 (5% reduction). Homicide clearance rate at 85%. Announced an arrest in the Robert Lee murder and solving a 1994 cold case. Significant narcotics seizure: 4.6 kg (10 lbs) of fentanyl (≈2 million lethal doses). Reported a hate crime at Loris Park (anti-LGBTQ+ assault) and stunt driving events over the weekend that were disrupted with help from CHP and San Mateo PD.
  • DPA Director’s Report (Item 5): Director Henderson reported 286 pending cases (23 older than 9 months, of which 19 are tolled). Top allegation trend: officers failing to properly investigate. DPA won a Knighton Award for its audit on electronic monitoring for bias. DPA is collaborating with SF Safe to host community events. Commissioner Benedicto asked about the new complainant portal; Henderson said feedback has been positive.
  • Commission Reports (Item 6): President Elias attended the SFPD women’s luncheon and discussed patrol specials. Vice President Carter-Oberstone expressed concern that Bureau Orders are being used to issue new policy without authority and requested a future resolution to rescind them when underlying Department General Orders (DGOs) become effective. Commissioner Byrne asked for committees to be formalized. Commissioner Benedicto noted progress on body-worn camera DGO.
  • SFPD 30x30 Initiative Update (Item 7): Commander Nicole Jones presented the six-month update. SFPD signed the 30x30 pledge in October 2022. Current sworn women representation: 14.4% (up from 14.3%). Academy recruit demographics: 33% women in 2023 (one class of 12, including 4 women). Key actions: anonymous survey distributed (107 of 274 sworn women responded); lactation facilities; mentorship program launched (86 members); uniform and equipment fit improvements; planned transition to a smaller service firearm (pending funding). Upcoming steps: form a 30x30 committee and develop a strategic plan by November 2024. Commissioners discussed expanding recruitment pools, childcare support, and exit interview data for women.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Approved 7-0.
  • Closed Session Vote (Item 9): Unanimously voted (6-0) to hold Item 10 in closed session and assert attorney-client privilege on Items 10C and 10D.
  • Closed Session Disclosure Vote (Item 11): Unanimously voted (6-0) to not disclose the closed session discussion and to assert attorney-client privilege; the commission will finalize language for the minutes.
  • Future Action: The commission will agendize a resolution in May to establish a process for Bureau Orders and to ensure they are rescinded upon the effective date of underlying DGOs.

Meeting Transcript

Legislative to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God indivisible deliberately and justice. President Lyons like to take roll. Please. Commissioner Walker. Here. Commissioner Benedicto. President. Commissioner Yanyez is excused. Commissioner Byrne. Here. Commissioner Yi. Here. Vice President Carter Oberstone. Present. President Lyons, you have a quorum. Also with us tonight is Chief Scott from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability. Thank you. Hello, everyone. Welcome to our April 19th police commission meeting. Sergeant, can you call the first item, please? Line item one weekly officer recognition certificate. Presentation of an officer who has gone above and beyond in the performance of their duties. Officer Hamed Suleman. Bayview station. Hello, welcome. This is our station. I'm good to see you. Thank you. Mine too. All right, good evening. Thank you, Chief Scott. Thank you, President Elias. Good to see you again. Yes. Fellow Commissioners and our new acquaintance. Uh Director Anderson, nice to meet you all. My name is Captain Dave Marin. I'm the commanding officer for Bayview Police Station. I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak before all of you here tonight and to have the distinction to present my choice for an outstanding officer under my command to receive this police commission recognition award. Before I begin, I would like to point out that Bayview Station has some of the hardest working police officers in the department, period. Choosing just one officer for this award was not easy as we have many deserving candidates. Back then he was assigned to the hardest shift in the department, the Midnight Watch. Shortly after he was transferred to Bayview Station. Let's fast forward now a few years. I'm now the captain here at Bayview Police Station, and like a lot of other captains right now, we're having some staffing challenges and whatnot. And of course, I had mine, and one of them included the footbeat detail. In particular, the third street foot beat uh third street uh corridor. Third street corridor in the Bayview is not an easy assignment. Uh I will say that again, it is not an easy assignment.

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