San Francisco Police Commission Meeting – April 9, 2025
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San Francisco Police Commission Meeting – April 9, 2025
The San Francisco Police Commission met on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, with a quorum present. The meeting covered routine recognitions, reports from the Chief of Police and the Department of Police Accountability (DPA), a presentation on SPARKS reports, a review of the AB 481 annual report on military-grade equipment, and a closed session vote.
Weekly Officer Recognition
- Officer Raymond Ortiz (Star #4189), a 22-year veteran of the SFPD with 12 years in the Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) unit, was recognized for going above and beyond. Director Powell highlighted his dedication to the swing shift, his volunteerism for on-call duties, and his work processing a complex scene while exposed to residual tear gas, resulting in a 30-page report. Officer Ortiz expressed gratitude and pride in his work and colleagues.
Consent Calendar
- The Commission voted unanimously (6-0) to receive and file the consent calendar, which included a luncheon donation from the California State Automotive Association valued at $9,851.84 and SFPD's and DPA's SB 1421 and SB 16 monthly report for March 2025.
DPA Director’s Report
- Executive Director Paul Henderson provided updates on DPA activities:
- Case X Deep Dive: Henderson explained that Case X was a policy failure case over 270 days old. He noted that while the average number of cases exceeding 270 days dropped from six in 2023 to two in 2025, the fourth quarter saw a spike in late document requests from SFPD, rising to 17% (from 6.5% in the first three quarters). He emphasized that DPA tracks such delays and reports them. Commissioner Yee asked about the cause, and Chief Scott said he would look into the trend and provide an update.
- Award: Steve Flaherty won the 2024 Distinguished Knight Award from the Association of Local Government Auditors for his audit of SFPD Stop Data. This was DPA's third consecutive Knighton Award and fourth in five years. Henderson and multiple commissioners praised Flaherty's work, and Commissioner Benedicto suggested inviting him to a future commission meeting.
- Operational Stats: Since the last meeting, DPA opened 15 new cases and closed 9. There are currently 15 investigations open for more than 270 days, 14 of which are on hold. 93 cases are pending with the Chief's office, and two with the Commission.
- Interns: The DPA intern cohort was introduced and will present their work later.
Chief’s Report
- Chief Scott reported that overall Part One crimes are down 30% year-to-date (about 4,000 fewer crimes), with violent crime down 16% and property crime down 32%. He credited the Real-Time Investigation Center (RTIC), which has contributed to over 500 arrests since its launch in early 2024, including 207 via Flock ALPR, 43 via drones, 166 stolen vehicle arrests, and 80 robbery arrests.
- He highlighted National Crime Victims' Rights Week (April 6–12), with a ceremony held at Golden Gate Park, which included Mayor Daniel Lurie and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. Commissioners Scott, Yi, and Leong attended.
- Homicides are at 4 this year compared to 9 at this time last year; the clearance rate is 125%.
Commission Reports
- Commissioner Benedicto reported that DGO 6.16 (sexual assault investigations) is now in public comment, and DGO 7.01 draft is expected by end of week. The District Boundaries Project is open for comment until May 20, 2025.
SPARKS Report Presentation
- Captain Chris Del Gandio (SFPD) and Director Jermaine Jones (DPA) presented the fourth quarter 2024 and first quarter 2025 SPARKS reports. Highlights included updates on DGOs under development (18 in Q4, 21 in Q1), 24 and 29 department notices respectively, and progress on working groups. DPA’s report mentioned policy failures related to conflict of interest, sexual assault warrants, and missing persons cases.
AB 481 Annual Report
- The department presented the AB 481 annual report on military-grade equipment. Key points included:
- Community engagement: Held meetings at seven police stations; questions focused on drones, pursuits, and sideshows.
- Equipment: 17 unmanned ground vehicles (used 40 times), one armored vehicle (BearCat, used 42 times, minimal annual cost), command and control vehicles, 38 flashbang deployments, 37 LRAD uses, and 63 drones (deployed 350 times). The department seeks to acquire 24 additional drones.
- No complaints or violations were received regarding the use of these items.
- Commissioner Clay praised the report for being posted on time and transparent.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (6-0).
- Vote to Hold Closed Session: Unanimously approved (6-0).
- Vote to Not Disclose Closed Session: Unanimously approved (6-0).
- Chief Scott agreed to provide a follow-up on the cause of the fourth quarter document request delays.
- DGO 6.16 entered public comment; DGO 3.02 closed concurrence and will be prepared for commission submission.
- The department will continue to provide quarterly updates on the Stop Data audit implementation.
Meeting Transcript
I pledge allegiance to the flag. I mean, this is a liberty justice. I think Maddie's still coming. Commissioner Scott will join us shortly. Commissioner Leon. Here. Commissioner Clay. Commissioner Benedictum. Commissioner Yanyez is excused. Commissioner Yi. Here. President Lyons, you have a quorum also with us tonight. We have Chief Scott from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability. Great. Thank you. Call the first item. Line item one, weekly officer recognition certificate. Presentation of an officer who has gone above and beyond in the performance of their duties. Officer Raymond Ortiz, star number 4189, CSI forensic services. Good afternoon. Yeah, Derek. So Officer Ortiz has been with us in the department for 22 years, 12 of which has been with CSI. He just continued continuously goes above and beyond the call of what's required in CSI. He helps us with ordering. He's the first to volunteer for backfill or for on call shifts. He also volunteer at this point with his service, he could do a day shift, but he chooses to stay on the swing shift, which is where we get most of our major scenes. So in he so he's very good at processing those. And he's just like a good team player as well. And that's kind of exemplified by a recent uh major scene that he processed with with his partner and another member of the team, where it was several rooftops and buildings. Um it took them many, many hours to process the scene. And because of um a response to the scene, there was residual tear gas present. So collecting evidence, documenting, photographing, all while being exposed to residual tear gas, uh which led to a 30-page report um documenting all the work he did. So his understanding of of the CSI process and his attention to detail and commitment is why we're honoring him and recognizing him. So with that, the officer of the week, in recognition of your dedication and professionalism demonstrated through outstanding community policing practice and inspiring greatness by exemplifying the ideals of police officers as guardians of our community. Such an example of dedication is worthy of the highest esteem by the city and county of San Francisco and the San Francisco Police Department. Yes, we're not gonna let you off the hook that easily. Yeah. Welcome. Congratulations. I want to give you an opportunity to say a few words before we inundate you with comments. Okay, thank you very much. Um first I want to say good evening, Chief and members of the commission. Um also fellow police officers here as command staff. Um thank you for the acknowledgement. Um it's uh honor to be acknowledged uh for doing my job. Um in a time where you know the police being a cop isn't the most favorable job for out there right now. I'm hoping that's gonna change, and I kind of see that you know, changing down the line. Um I I've been in the department for 22 years, and uh I still love what I do from day one. Still love what I do, even more than the unit that I'm in. I work with great people.
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