San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - February 18, 2026
San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - February 18, 2026
The San Francisco Police Commission met on February 18, 2026, at 13:45 UTC (rescheduled from the evening). Commissioners present included President Clay, Vice President Benedicto, and Commissioners Techie, Scott, Leoung, and Yi. Commissioner Alliance was excused. Chief Liu and DPA Executive Director Henderson attended. The meeting covered crime trends, departmental reports, internal affairs findings, and disciplinary reviews. Public comment was absent for all items.
Consent Calendar
- Line item 2 (DPA sustained cases pending chief’s decision for January and February 2026) was received and filed. Motion passed unanimously (6-0).
Chief’s Report (Line item 3)
- Chief Liu reported overall Part 1 crimes down 34% year-to-date versus 2025. Violent crimes down 26%. Homicides: 6 this year (vs. 1 in 2025); gun violence down 11%. Robberies down 33%; property crimes down 35%. Burglaries down 43%, auto theft down 39%. Gun seizures: 137 vs. 124 last year. Academy: 74 recruits currently; largest lateral class in 10+ years graduated.
- Commissioners noted the rise in homicides and asked about correlation with drug arrests. Chief Liu explained that multiple factors (e.g., DMAC work on the illegal economy) likely contribute to the drop in property crime. Commissioner Yi asked about a possible 500% increase in homicides; Chief noted incidents are independent and not part of a trend.
DPA Director’s Report (Line item 4)
- Director Henderson reported on budget processes, digitization of records (DPA being featured as a city success story), and staffing (filling the policy analyst role with Jamal Anderson). Case statistics: 209 open cases; 109 opened in 2026; 12 cases beyond 270 days (all tolled); 66 sustained cases pending with SFPD; 2 pending with commission. The backlog of cases awaiting chief’s decision is at its lowest in years, attributed to expanded chief’s hearings and full staffing.
- Vice President Benedicto noted the improvement and requested future correlation analysis between crime reductions and complaints.
Commission Reports (Line item 5)
- President Clay described a visit to the police academy, praising the training and calling for a new, larger academy facility.
- Vice President Benedicto raised the BolaWrap device: Chief Liu confirmed the department will not adopt it due to inconsistent effectiveness. Star Chase technology is being used successfully. Benedicto also noted Lunar New Year, Ash Wednesday, and Black History Month. He requested a long-term analysis of whether historic crime reductions correlate with fewer internal complaints (IAD and DPA). The commission agreed to revisit this in six months.
- Commissioner Leong highlighted Lunar New Year events and community engagement.
Internal Affairs Division (IAD) Reports (Line item 6)
- Lt. Lisa Springer presented Q2 and Q3 2025 IAD data. Open cases decreased; conduct unbecoming and failure to qualify at the range were top allegations. Commissioner Yee noted the low complaint volume relative to officer contacts, calling it a sign of a well-functioning department.
- Vice President Benedicto asked about a shift in sustained/not-sustained rates for field operations (from 64% sustained in 2024 to 30% in 2025). Lt. Springer said a single case could skew data and suggested a multi-year trend analysis. Benedicto requested annual data for the past seven years for field operations bureau, to be provided in writing.
Serious Incident Review Board (Line item 7)
- Three incidents were reviewed: an OIS from August 2023 (subject with knife, officers fired – all actions proper; DPA concurred); an OID from November 2024 (officers shot aggressive dogs attacking a person – proper); and an OIS from January 2025 (officer accidentally shot self in locker room – not in policy). No in-custody deaths in Q3 2025.
Disciplinary Review Board (Line item 8)
- Chief of Staff Sharon Wu and Lt. Springer presented Q3 2025 findings. Top allegation categories: conduct unbecoming (28% for IAD, 14% for DPA), neglect of duty (27% IAD, 63% DPA), failure to qualify at range (24% IAD). Two IAD policy failures: (1) misuse of FLOCK license plate reader – officer searched own spouse’s vehicle; (2) circumventing purchasing policy via personal credit card reimbursements. Two DPA policy failures: (1) lack of guidelines for decoy vehicle parking; (2) lost cell phones due to outdated property processing policy (DGO 6.15, last updated 1994). Recommendations: expand conflict-of-interest policy, add parking guidelines, update 6.15. OEI found no bias trends.
- Vice President Benedicto asked about implementing recommendation one. Chief Liu indicated a new DGO 301 (limited revision process) is coming soon; otherwise, changes would require the normal annual cycle. It was agreed to discuss efficiency without circumventing existing rules.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar approved (6-0).
- Commission requested (for a future meeting) a six-month report comparing crime data with IAD/DPA complaint trends.
- Commission directed staff to provide seven-year annual sustained/not-sustained data for field operations bureau.
- Commission took no immediate action on policy recommendations from the DRB; further discussion on implementation path deferred.
- Motion to go into closed session (item 11) passed unanimously (6-0).
- No public comments were made on any agenda item.
Meeting Transcript
President Clay, like to take roll? Yes, please. Commissioner Techie? Here. Commissioner Scott. Yes. Commissioner Leoung. Here. Commissioner Yi. Commissioner Alliance is excused. Vice President Benedicto. Here. President Clay, you have a quorum also with us tonight. Our Chief Lou from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability. All right, thank you. Thank you, everyone, for being here for our February 18th meeting. All right. We will begin. Sergeant. 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 SAPD.commission at SFGub.org. Or written comments may be sent via U.S. Postal Service to the public safety building located at 1245 Third Street, San Francisco, California, 94158. If you would like to make public comment, please approach the podium. And there is no public comment. Line item two, consent calendar, receive and file action. DPA sustained case pending SAPD chiefs decision for January and February 2026. Motion received and file. Second. Sorry, second. Alright, if any member of the public would like to make public comment regarding line item two, please approach the podium. There's no public comment. On the motion, Commissioner Techie, how do you vote? Yes. Commissioner Techie is yes. Commissioner Scott? Yes. Commissioner Scott is yes. Commissioner Leo? Yes. Commissioner Liang is yes. Commissioner Yi? Yes. Commissioner Yi is yes. Vice President Benedicto? Yes. Vice President Benedict was yes.
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