San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - June 21, 2023
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San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - June 21, 2023
The San Francisco Police Commission held its regular meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 1:45 PM. The meeting included officer recognition, public comment, approval of the consent calendar, the Chief's report on crime trends and significant incidents, the DPA Director's report, commission reports, and a discussion with the SFPD Officers' Pride Alliance regarding the Pride patch program. The commission also voted to hold a closed session item.
Consent Calendar
- The commission voted 5-0 to receive and file the DPA monthly statistical report for March and April 2023.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Officer Recognition (Item 1): No public comment.
- General Public Comment (Item 2): Multiple speakers addressed the commission. One individual reported feeling unsafe due to cars speeding past a stop sign and being touched on the street, claiming a crime was being committed against them. Paulette Brown spoke about her son's unsolved 2006 murder, urging the department to find ways to pay tipsters to solve cold cases, noting a $250,000 reward. A speaker criticized the fentanyl crisis, comparing it to the Jonestown tragedy, stating that San Francisco is approaching 800 overdose deaths this year and that drug dealers may skew data. Another speaker expressed concerns about blurring the lines of police roles, urging a redefinition of an officer's duties.
- Chief's Report (Item 4): No public comment.
- DPA Director's Report (Item 5): A speaker briefly commented, reiterating the need to redefine police roles and avoid confusion.
- Commission Reports (Item 6): No public comment.
- Pride Patch Discussion (Item 7): No public comment.
- Closed Session Vote (Item 8): No public comment.
Discussion Items
- Chief's Report (Item 4): Chief William Scott presented an overview of crime trends and major incidents from the past week. He described a car-to-car shooting on June 18th at approximately 6:53 PM near Pier 39 that resulted in two gunshot victims, three injured by shattered glass, and a 10-year-old struck by a vehicle (the 16-year-old sister was also struck but not hospitalized). Officers responded within four minutes; one suspect has been arrested. Other shootings included a homicide in the Tenderloin on June 13th and an incident on the 500 block of Turk. Chief Scott reported that year-to-date homicides are at 23 (one above last year), violent crime is up 3%, property crime down 6%, and overall part one crime down 5%. Homicide clearance rate is 91%. For the Tenderloin enforcement pilot (8 officers and 1 sergeant), the department seized 341 grams of fentanyl that week; year-to-date fentanyl seizures total 61,790 grams (a 159% increase). Total narcotics seized: 95,426 grams (148% increase). Arrests for possession/sales: 390 individuals so far in 2023 (compared to 566 in all of 2022). Of those arrested for public consumption, 62 arrests were made; only 4 were San Francisco residents. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) statistics were also released, including 92 total arrests, 625 citations, and 4,228 grams of fentanyl recovered. Commissioners questioned whether the shootings were gang-related (Chief Scott said most were not) and about the CHP's use of pretext stops (Chief Scott said CHP denies that practice). A commissioner noted that no one arrested in the Tenderloin pilot has accepted treatment yet; the chief confirmed and said the strategy will continue. The Lead program is not in the budget for this year, but the chief is open to revisiting it. Commissioner Yanez requested a future presentation on the Community Engagement Division’s work on relationships and services.
- DPA Director's Report (Item 5): Executive Director Paul Henderson reported that DPA has opened 346 cases this year, 265 pending, 29 sustained, 14 mediated, and 21 cases beyond the nine-month investigation period (19 of those are tolled with criminal/civil cases). 6 cases await commission decisions, 88 await chief decisions. The top allegation (21%) was failure to take required action. He also mentioned working on a summary of last week's discussion items and will share with the chief first.
- Commission Reports (Item 6): Vice President Carter Oberstone updated that the working group on DGO 810 (First Amendment surveillance) will need one more meeting. Commissioner Walker reported on discussions about the patrol specials program and a tour of the crime lab; she suggested exploring a different type of reward for incidental information in investigations. Commissioner Yanez thanked the chief for the prompt turnaround on the investigative social media DGO draft; he requested that the public comment period be extended to start July 1st to compensate for the lost week due to July 4th. He also confirmed with Chief Scott that the department is prepared to allocate resources for a pre-booking juvenile diversion program, and that a presentation on the program is expected by mid-July.
- Pride Patch Discussion (Item 7): Sergeant Winters of the SFPD Officers' Pride Alliance presented the history and impact of the Pride patch, first approved in 2019. The patch is worn during Pride Month and has raised over $30,000 for local LGBTQ organizations (Larkin Street Youth, Castro Country Club). The program has become a model nationally. Winters highlighted that the Pride Alliance also works on policies (e.g., transgender interactions) and collaborates with other employee groups. Commissioners thanked the group and requested donation links for posting on the commission site. Commissioner Walker noted she was the only current commissioner from 2019 and appreciated the uniform DGO modification. The commission unanimously expressed support for the program.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar (Item 3): Approved 5-0.
- Closed Session Vote (Item 8): The commission voted 5-0 to hold Item 10 in closed session.
- Closed Session Non-Disclosure (Item 11): The commission voted 5-0 not to disclose the closed session items.
- Future Items: The working group on DGO 810 will continue. A presentation on the juvenile diversion program is scheduled for mid-July. The commission will explore a new reward system for investigative information. The investigative social media DGO draft will be posted for public comment starting July 1st.
Meeting Transcript
21st general meeting of the San Francisco Police Commission. Good evening. The chair has called the meeting to order. If you could please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Please. Commissioner Walker. President. Commissioner Benedicto is excused. Commissioner Yanez. President. Commissioner Byrne. Here. Commissioner Yi is excused. President Elias is in route. Vice President Carter Oberstone, you have a quorum. Also here tonight we have Chief Scott from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability. Award winner. Could you please call item number one, Sergeant? Line item one, weekly officer recognition certificate. Presentation of an officer who has gone above and beyond in the performance of their duties. Officer Michael Farrasay, star number 1900 from Terreville Station. Good evening, Commissioners. Chief Scott, Executive Director Henderson. I'm Lieutenant Ray Cruz, and I'm the acting captain of Terraville Station. First off, I would like to give thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today to present Officer Mike Ferisi, the police officer weekly recognition award. Officer Ferrisi is a 15-year veteran of the department, is currently assigned to the Terreville Street Crimes Unit, which is a plainclothes investigative team that works in an undercover capacity. The unit routinely investigates complex incidents within the Terreville district and collaborates with other plainclothes and investigative units as part of a larger mission to reduce the rise of criminal activity. In addition to Officer Ferisi's duties as a plain clothes officer, he volunteers for patrol assignments on a weekly basis to assist his fellow uniformed officers. In his tenure, Officer Farisi has participated in over 100 search warrants, authored a hundred hundreds of arrest warrants, and has been a lead investigator in a dozen of complex investigations. One example of this investigation occurred in October of 2022. A series of gas station robberies involving a firearm occurred in San Francisco and in Daly City. Officer Ferrisi was working when one of the robberies occurred, and he began to actively investigate the incident. Officer Farisi located video surveillance, which led him to identify the vehicle involved in the robberies as a reported stolen vehicle. Through a series of investigative steps, Officer Farisi was able to locate the owner, and along with the owner's uh aid, he was able to track the vehicle and its whereabouts. Officer Ferisi on the street crimes unit team were able to locate the vehicle pulling into another gas station in San Francisco. To prevent another robbery from occurring, officers on scene with the assistance of the tactical unit took the robbery suspect into custody prior to him entering the gas station. Officers were covered a firearm on the suspect and were able to link him to several armed robberies throughout the Bay Area. Officer Ferris, his determination and investigative work led to the apprehension of an armed suspect that was responsible for the series. Oh, and please give us our spikes back. Yeah, thank you. Give you your what back. Spike strips. Oh, spikes. I thought you said spice rack. I was like, spice rack. That too. Okay, I'll just read the award. Uh the San Francisco Police Department recognizes Officer Michael Ferisi, Terraville Station, the officer of the week. In recognition of your dedication and professionalism demonstrated through outstanding community policing practices and inspiring greatness by exemplifying the ideals of police officers as guardians of our community. Such an example of dedication is worth worthy of the highest esteem by the city and county of San Francisco and the San Francisco Police Department.
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