This meeting addressed critical public safety concerns, reviewed crime trends, discussed language access services for limited English proficient (LEP) residents, and examined use of force oversight procedures.
The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. Present were Commissioners Tecky, Scott, Leung, Yee, Elias, Vice President Benedicto, and President Clay. Also attending were Chief Derek Liu (SFPD) and Executive Director Paul Henderson (Department of Police Accountability).
Multiple community members addressed ongoing concerns:
Jennifer Deb Wagner (League of Women Voters) urged improved communication with working group participants, requesting proactive outreach when policies are agendized after community involvement.
Chantel advocated for facial recognition technology in homicide investigations, citing delays in solving her son's murder case (occurred approximately 18 months prior). She emphasized that San Francisco's lack of facial recognition hampers investigations.
Paulette Abra Casa continued her years-long advocacy for justice for her son Aubrey Abra Casa, murdered August 14, 2006. His case remains unsolved despite her persistent attendance at commission meetings. The anonymous tip line (415-575-4444) was announced for anyone with information.
The commission unanimously approved (7-0) receiving and filing SFPD's Family Code 6228 quarterly report, the sexual assault evidence kit semi-annual report (July 1-December 31, 2025), and SFPD/DPA's document protocol report for Q4 2025.
Chief Liu presented crime statistics as of February 1, 2026:
Chief Liu noted increases in certain categories, explaining:
Homicide: One reported homicide during the period with two non-fatal victims, bringing the 2026 total to three homicides.
Shootings:
Commissioners acknowledged the Mabry family and other families affected by gun violence, with Commissioner Scott organizing a moment of silence.
Executive Director Henderson reported:
Commissioners reported on recent activities:
Vice President Benedicto thanked Commissioner Scott for co-organizing a vigil with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Third Baptist Church honoring Renee Good and Alex Precci (murdered in Minneapolis), expressing solidarity with immigrant communities facing current federal actions.
Commissioner Scott emphasized the importance of community engagement and announced plans to bring commission meetings to community locations.
Commissioner Yee reported attending Black History Month celebration hosted by Mayor Lurie and Supervisor Juan with San Francisco African American Historical Cultural Society.
The commission engaged in extensive discussion regarding proposed revisions to Department General Order 5.20 on Language Access Services. This became the meeting's most substantial agenda item.
Aja Steeves (Policy Development Division Manager) presented updates to DGO 5.20, last updated in 2007. The working group met July-December 2024, capturing approximately 70 recommendations. Key legal frameworks include:
Language Indicator App (Insight/LanguageLine):
Visor Cards (in development for DGO 5.23):
Extensive public comment revealed significant issues with the revision process:
Chinese for Affirmative Action/Language Access Network concerns:
Community Testimony (20+ speakers):
Systemic Issues Identified:
President Clay emphasized:
Vice President Benedicto's Motion: Based on extensive working group experience and concerns about process breakdown, moved to:
Commissioners unanimously supported additional time for community engagement (7-0 vote). Commissioner Elias recommended improved working group communication protocols, including:
Ms. Steeves acknowledged process improvements since 2024, including:
Director of Audits Steve Flaherty presented "Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Use of Force Oversight" (December 2025 audit).
First independent review of SFPD's use of force oversight since DOJ's 2016 assessment. Evaluated effectiveness of monitoring processes, including incident review, trend analysis, and documentation. Reviewed 994 supervisor evaluations completed May 2024-March 2025.
Finding 1: Supervisor Evaluations
Finding 2: Data Usage for Training
Finding 3: Reporting and Auditing
14 recommendations issued to strengthen:
Several recommendations call for DGO 5.01 updates regarding:
SFPD response (signed by Interim Chief Yep, adopted by Chief Liu):
Commander Jack Hart provided detailed context:
Assistant Chief Jones announced transition from Benchmark to Axon Standards:
President Clay emphasized importance of:
Vice President Benedicto:
Director Henderson focused on moving forward constructively:
President Clay thanked DPA for comprehensive audit, noting it provides valuable guidance for Chief Liu's new administration as they implement new systems.
The commission voted 6-0 (Commissioner Elias absent for vote) to enter closed session pursuant to California Government Code Section 54957B and San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.10. Upon return, voted 6-0 not to disclose closed session discussions.
DGO 5.20 Language Access Services: Tabled until April 8, 2026. Department directed to meet with Language Access Network to discuss restoring elements from working group draft.
Use of Force Oversight: Department implementing immediate fixes (software reminders, regular chief briefings), developing unit order for Cal DOJ reporting, and transitioning to Axon Standards by mid-2026.
Technology Improvements: Comprehensive move away from Benchmark Analytics to integrated Axon platform expected to resolve data quality, accessibility, and oversight issues identified in audit.
Community Engagement: Commission emphasized need for transparent working group processes, timely notification of policy changes, and meaningful incorporation of community expertise, particularly for immigrant communities facing current federal enforcement climate.
Crime Trends: Overall crime down significantly year-over-year despite increase in homicides (3 vs. 1). Enhanced enforcement during Super Bowl week with all officer days off canceled.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the power of which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. President Clay, would I take roll? Yes, please. Commissioner Tecky? Here. Commissioner Scott? Yes. Commissioner Leung? Here. Commissioner Yee? Here. Commissioner Elias is en route. Vice President Benedicto? Here. President Clay, you have a quorum. Also with us tonight are Chief Derek Liu from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability. Okay. Please begin. Line item one. General public comment. At this time, the public is now welcome to address the commission for up to two minutes on items that do not appear on tonight's agenda, but are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Police Commission. Under Police Commission rules of order during public comment, neither police or DPA personnel nor commissioners are required to respond to questions by the public but may provide a brief response. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in either of the following ways. Email the secretary of the police commission at sfpd.commission at sfgov.org or written comments may be sent via U.S. Postal Service to the Public Safety Building located at 1245 3rd Street, San Francisco, California, 94158. If you'd like to make public comment, please approach the podium. Good evening. My name is Jennifer J. Deb Wagner. I'm with the League of Women Voters of San Francisco. I came tonight with a general public comment about working groups. So the League of Women Voters across the country has collaborated with a variety of law enforcement agencies around best practices, how the community can be involved. We were lucky in that when Chief Scott came to San Francisco, our Los Angeles League of Women Voters had already worked with him on a number of working groups. And so we were thrilled here in San Francisco to collaborate on all sorts of working groups. And so as we sort of move into some more turnover on the commission, some policies that are being iterated upon over time, I just wanted to give you a little feedback based on observations from our group. So the collaborative reform initiatives were really focused on a number of issues, and they were categorized. But I think for working groups, addressing bias, thinking about community policing, and transparency and accountability are all very relevant. And so I want to ask how you think, over time, working groups are going to iterate. You want community members to feel like their time is valued, that the input they give you is important, and that you're taking that to heart. So they need to understand what their role is and what's going to happen with their feedback over time. So, for example, when pretext stops were finally agendized after many months of requests, what outreach did you do to the groups that had been involved so that they knew that that was going to happen? What outreach happened around items that might be on your agenda tonight? I want to make sure that as you think about bias, community policing, transparency and accountability, the role of the community is not taken for granted. Thank you. I lost my son about a year ago, a year and six months. I came to y'all before. I'm not