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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - September 2, 2026

Police Commission — Wednesday, September 2, 2026

BodySan Francisco, California

SessionPolice Commission

DateWednesday, September 2, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

0:10

President Clay would like to take roll?

0:11

Yes, please.

0:13

Commissioner Lowe.

0:15

Here.

0:16

Commissioner Scott.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Commissioner Liang.

0:19

Here.

0:20

Commissioner Benedict.

0:22

Here.

0:22

And Commissioner Elias is here.

0:25

Commissioner Vice President Techy.

0:26

Yeah.

0:27

Right, President Clay, you have a quorum.

0:29

Also with us tonight, we have Chief Lou from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability.

0:36

Thank you, Sergeant.

0:37

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our September 2nd meeting of the police commission.

0:41

This time we will begin our meeting.

0:42

Sorry.

0:45

Line item one, general public comment.

0:48

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.

0:57

Under police commission rules of order, during public comment, neither police or DPA personnel nor commissioners are required to respond by to questions by the public, but they may provide a brief response.

1:07

Alternatively, you may submit public comment in either of the following ways.

1:10

Email the Secretary of the Police Commission at SFPD.commission at SFgov.org or written comments may be sent via U.S.

1:17

Postal Service to the public safety building located at 1245 Third Street, San Francisco, California, 94158.

1:24

If you would like to make public comment, please approach the podium.

1:33

Good evening.

1:38

I want to thank you for having us here.

1:42

As I said in some emails over the last two weeks, we would like to have the issues of Southern Station agendized at some point in the near future.

1:52

We did receive word today from station captain Hurley that next Wednesday night we will have a discussion with her on upcoming plans for Southern.

2:05

So I'm pleased to report that.

2:22

Thank you.

2:30

Commissioners, my name is Sean Auckland.

2:32

I'm also with SOMO West Neighborhood Association.

2:35

Last November you voted here in this room to expand Southern District's boundaries.

2:39

You did that with clear assurances to our community that a staffing plan would be in place well before the new lines take effect.

2:46

That was your decision, and it takes effect in just 29 days.

2:51

Last week, our district captain told us at our neighborhood meeting what that plan amounts to.

2:56

Southern is getting, in her words, one additional officer and losing four to transfers.

3:03

That's a net loss of three going into the largest workload increase that our district has ever absorbed.

3:09

Market Street, all of Market Street.

3:12

31,000 more calls per year.

3:14

We are not guessing at what that produces.

3:16

For 11 straight months that we've been tracking, Southern's priority B response times have been longer than the citywide median, inequitably longer, never less than 30 percent longer.

3:27

In December, it was 92 percent, almost twice the citywide median.

3:32

Last month, the last 30 days, August, 41 percent longer.

3:37

That comparison is to the city's own median.

3:39

So the citywide staffing crisis is already on both sides of it.

3:42

It's irrelevant.

3:43

What's left is officer allocation, and that is a choice.

3:47

And it's been made the same way every month for 11 months.

3:51

In May, SFPD testified at City Hall at the uh PSNS committee that the new boundary staffing requirement is 121 officers.

4:01

That is not what we're being told now.

4:03

Three neighborhood association presidents, including Reese, who just spoke before me, have asked in writing that Southern staffing be agendized as a topic.

4:12

The first request went unanswered.

4:14

It is not on tonight's agenda.

4:16

We ask that you agendize it.

4:18

This is a looming public safety crisis.

4:20

You cannot add so much burden with no plan to the district that has the highest violent crime rate and property crime rate.

4:29

That's obvious.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Police Oversight████████████████████████████████32%

Procedural███████████████████████23%

Public Comment█████████████████17%

Community Engagement███████7%

Surveillance Technology██████6%

Public Safety█████5%

Technology And Infrastructure█████5%

Public Engagement██2%

Technology And Innovation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - September 2, 2026

This meeting of the San Francisco Police Commission on September 2, 2026, included discussion of crime trends, disciplinary actions, policy updates, and a major debate on drone surveillance policy (DGO 1012). Commissioners voted on consent calendar items, minutes, and rescinding outdated general orders. The meeting drew significant public comment on community safety, police accountability, and surveillance concerns.

Consent Calendar

Received and filed: Police Commission disciplinary actions report (second quarter 2026), SFPD and DPA document protocol report (second quarter 2026), Family Code 6228 report (second quarter 2026), and Safe Streets for All report (second quarter 2026). Motion passed 7-0.
Adopted minutes from June 3, June 10, June 17, July 8, and July 15, 2026, with amendments to correct affiliation of a commenter (SOMA West Neighborhood Association) and to refer to the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT) instead of CIT. Motion passed 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

Southern Station Staffing: Sean Auckland (SOMO West Neighborhood Association) stated that Southern Station is receiving only one additional officer while losing four to transfers (net loss of three) ahead of a major boundary expansion effective in 29 days. He reported that Southern's Priority B response times have been 41% longer than the citywide median in August and 92% longer in December, calling it a looming public safety crisis. He requested the topic be agendized.
Harassment Case: A speaker described a years-long harassment case with a criminal undertone, citing case number 260242545, and expressed frustration that no detective was assigned for months.
Trans March & Stud Alley Incident: Multiple speakers requested a town hall to discuss police violence during Pride events on June 26-27, 2026, criticizing the commission's silence and lack of transparency. A speaker referenced a Mission Local article detailing discrepancies between the SFPD report and body camera footage regarding dispersal orders.
Emergency Relocation: A mother requested emergency relocation after her daughter was shot multiple times, stating she no longer feels safe.
Drones (DGO 1012): Several speakers urged a no vote on DGO 1012, citing concerns about mass surveillance, data security (referencing a Wired article about unsecured drone feeds), lack of guardrails, and potential misuse against marginalized communities. Some referenced connections to SkyDio and its contracts with ICE and foreign militaries.
Peer Counselors: Amelia Harman spoke about the removal of peer counselors from the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT), urging collaboration and presenting a framework for evaluation.
Flock Cameras: Steve Zeltzer (United Front Committee for a Labor Party) demanded removal of Flock cameras, calling them part of a technofascist agenda.
General Public Comment on Chief’s Report: A speaker from SOMO West noted that while citywide crime is down 18%, Southern District homicides increased from zero to five (five of 16 citywide) in a neighborhood with 3% of the city's population.

Discussion Items

Chief’s Report: Chief Liu reported part one crime down 18% year-to-date, violent crime down 9%, property crime down 20%, but homicides up to 16 (from 15). He detailed FRET operations (58 arrests) and retail theft blitz operations (19 arrests). Commissioners Benedicto, Scott, and Elias pressed for a town hall with the trans community. Chief Liu expressed concerns about ongoing litigation but agreed to discuss internally and provide an update. Public comment echoed the request for a town hall.
DPA Director’s Report: Director Henderson reported a 29% increase in complaints (first quarter 2026), 155 new cases opened, 174 closed. He noted technology upgrades (automatic confirmation emails, language compliance pamphlets) and ongoing audit of automated license plate readers.
Commission Reports: President Clay and commissioners reported attending community events, station visits, and recruitment efforts. Commissioner Lowe and Vice President Techie discussed community engagement strategies. President Clay announced plans to develop performance evaluation metrics for the chief and DPA director.
Serious Incident Review Board (SIRB): Lieutenant Springer presented three cases: one officer-involved shooting (July 2024, suspect fired first, officer found in policy), and two accidental discharges (both found not in policy for firearm safety). No in-custody deaths reviewed this quarter.
Disciplinary Review Board (DRB): IAD and DPA presented top allegations: neglect of duty (14 allegations), conduct unbecoming (11), and body-worn camera failures (19 for DPA; 12 for IAD). Policy failures included unclear language in DGO 6.09 (domestic violence vs. court orders) and parking violations. A balaclava mask issue was already corrected via Department Notice. Discussion on improving feedback loops for crime victims and body-worn camera compliance.
Sparks Report: Aja Steves (SFPD Policy Development) and Dr. Carolyn Coles (new implementation science expert) provided updates on DGOs in progress, including the upcoming working group on DGO 810 (First Amendment activities). DPA’s Sharon Wu reported on policy work, including revisions to DGO 6.09 and the OIS policy. Commissioner Benedicto and others welcomed the evidence-based approach.
DGO 1012 – Drones: Aja Steves introduced amendments (definitions of general surveillance, authorized uses, prohibited uses) in response to a letter from the Public Defender’s Office. Captain Jonas provided background on federal, state, and local authorization. Commissioners Benedicto and Elias raised concerns about insufficient community engagement and legal questions. Public comment overwhelmingly opposed, citing security breaches (Wired article), lack of guardrails, and constitutional rights. Commissioner Leong proposed a schedule: all written input due by September 30, response by October 7, reconsideration at the October 14 meeting. No motion to advance was made; the item was tabled.

Key Outcomes

Consent calendar and minutes adopted unanimously.
Chief Liu agreed to discuss a town hall with the trans community internally and provide an update at a future meeting.
Performance evaluation metrics for chief and DPA director to be developed with community input.
DGO 1012 was tabled for further public input and legal review. Schedule: written comments due by September 30, responses due October 7, reconsideration at the October 14 meeting.
Motion to rescind DGOs 1.02, 3.04, 5.09, 6.08, 6.11, 6.12, 6.18, and 9.03 passed 7-0.
Vote to move into closed session (item 14) passed 6-0 with one recusal.

Meeting Transcript

President Clay would like to take roll? Yes, please. Commissioner Lowe. Here. Commissioner Scott. Here. Commissioner Liang. Here. Commissioner Benedict. Here. And Commissioner Elias is here. Commissioner Vice President Techy. Yeah. Right, President Clay, you have a quorum. Also with us tonight, we have Chief Lou from the San Francisco Police Department and Executive Director Paul Henderson from the Department of Police Accountability. Thank you, Sergeant. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our September 2nd meeting of the police commission. This time we will begin our meeting. Sorry. 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 by to questions by the public, but they 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 Third Street, San Francisco, California, 94158. If you would like to make public comment, please approach the podium. Good evening. I want to thank you for having us here. As I said in some emails over the last two weeks, we would like to have the issues of Southern Station agendized at some point in the near future. We did receive word today from station captain Hurley that next Wednesday night we will have a discussion with her on upcoming plans for Southern. So I'm pleased to report that. Thank you. Commissioners, my name is Sean Auckland. I'm also with SOMO West Neighborhood Association. Last November you voted here in this room to expand Southern District's boundaries. You did that with clear assurances to our community that a staffing plan would be in place well before the new lines take effect. That was your decision, and it takes effect in just 29 days. Last week, our district captain told us at our neighborhood meeting what that plan amounts to. Southern is getting, in her words, one additional officer and losing four to transfers. That's a net loss of three going into the largest workload increase that our district has ever absorbed. Market Street, all of Market Street. 31,000 more calls per year. We are not guessing at what that produces. For 11 straight months that we've been tracking, Southern's priority B response times have been longer than the citywide median, inequitably longer, never less than 30 percent longer. In December, it was 92 percent, almost twice the citywide median. Last month, the last 30 days, August, 41 percent longer. That comparison is to the city's own median. So the citywide staffing crisis is already on both sides of it. It's irrelevant. What's left is officer allocation, and that is a choice.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com

San Francisco Police Commission Meeting - September 2, 2026

Consent Calendar

Received and filed: Police Commission disciplinary actions report (second quarter 2026), SFPD and DPA document protocol report (second quarter 2026), Family Code 6228 report (second quarter 2026), and Safe Streets for All report (second quarter 2026). Motion passed 7-0.

Adopted minutes from June 3, June 10, June 17, July 8, and July 15, 2026, with amendments to correct affiliation of a commenter (SOMA West Neighborhood Association) and to refer to the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT) instead of CIT. Motion passed 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

Southern Station Staffing: Sean Auckland (SOMO West Neighborhood Association) stated that Southern Station is receiving only one additional officer while losing four to transfers (net loss of three) ahead of a major boundary expansion effective in 29 days. He reported that Southern's Priority B response times have been 41% longer than the citywide median in August and 92% longer in December, calling it a looming public safety crisis. He requested the topic be agendized.

Harassment Case: A speaker described a years-long harassment case with a criminal undertone, citing case number 260242545, and expressed frustration that no detective was assigned for months.

Trans March & Stud Alley Incident: Multiple speakers requested a town hall to discuss police violence during Pride events on June 26-27, 2026, criticizing the commission's silence and lack of transparency. A speaker referenced a Mission Local article detailing discrepancies between the SFPD report and body camera footage regarding dispersal orders.

Emergency Relocation: A mother requested emergency relocation after her daughter was shot multiple times, stating she no longer feels safe.

Drones (DGO 1012): Several speakers urged a no vote on DGO 1012, citing concerns about mass surveillance, data security (referencing a Wired article about unsecured drone feeds), lack of guardrails, and potential misuse against marginalized communities. Some referenced connections to SkyDio and its contracts with ICE and foreign militaries.

Peer Counselors: Amelia Harman spoke about the removal of peer counselors from the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT), urging collaboration and presenting a framework for evaluation.

Flock Cameras: Steve Zeltzer (United Front Committee for a Labor Party) demanded removal of Flock cameras, calling them part of a technofascist agenda.

General Public Comment on Chief’s Report: A speaker from SOMO West noted that while citywide crime is down 18%, Southern District homicides increased from zero to five (five of 16 citywide) in a neighborhood with 3% of the city's population.

Discussion Items

Chief’s Report: Chief Liu reported part one crime down 18% year-to-date, violent crime down 9%, property crime down 20%, but homicides up to 16 (from 15). He detailed FRET operations (58 arrests) and retail theft blitz operations (19 arrests). Commissioners Benedicto, Scott, and Elias pressed for a town hall with the trans community. Chief Liu expressed concerns about ongoing litigation but agreed to discuss internally and provide an update. Public comment echoed the request for a town hall.

DPA Director’s Report: Director Henderson reported a 29% increase in complaints (first quarter 2026), 155 new cases opened, 174 closed. He noted technology upgrades (automatic confirmation emails, language compliance pamphlets) and ongoing audit of automated license plate readers.

Commission Reports: President Clay and commissioners reported attending community events, station visits, and recruitment efforts. Commissioner Lowe and Vice President Techie discussed community engagement strategies. President Clay announced plans to develop performance evaluation metrics for the chief and DPA director.

Serious Incident Review Board (SIRB): Lieutenant Springer presented three cases: one officer-involved shooting (July 2024, suspect fired first, officer found in policy), and two accidental discharges (both found not in policy for firearm safety). No in-custody deaths reviewed this quarter.

Disciplinary Review Board (DRB): IAD and DPA presented top allegations: neglect of duty (14 allegations), conduct unbecoming (11), and body-worn camera failures (19 for DPA; 12 for IAD). Policy failures included unclear language in DGO 6.09 (domestic violence vs. court orders) and parking violations. A balaclava mask issue was already corrected via Department Notice. Discussion on improving feedback loops for crime victims and body-worn camera compliance.

Sparks Report: Aja Steves (SFPD Policy Development) and Dr. Carolyn Coles (new implementation science expert) provided updates on DGOs in progress, including the upcoming working group on DGO 810 (First Amendment activities). DPA’s Sharon Wu reported on policy work, including revisions to DGO 6.09 and the OIS policy. Commissioner Benedicto and others welcomed the evidence-based approach.

DGO 1012 – Drones: Aja Steves introduced amendments (definitions of general surveillance, authorized uses, prohibited uses) in response to a letter from the Public Defender’s Office. Captain Jonas provided background on federal, state, and local authorization. Commissioners Benedicto and Elias raised concerns about insufficient community engagement and legal questions. Public comment overwhelmingly opposed, citing security breaches (Wired article), lack of guardrails, and constitutional rights. Commissioner Leong proposed a schedule: all written input due by September 30, response by October 7, reconsideration at the October 14 meeting. No motion to advance was made; the item was tabled.

Key Outcomes

Consent calendar and minutes adopted unanimously.

Chief Liu agreed to discuss a town hall with the trans community internally and provide an update at a future meeting.

Performance evaluation metrics for chief and DPA director to be developed with community input.

DGO 1012 was tabled for further public input and legal review. Schedule: written comments due by September 30, responses due October 7, reconsideration at the October 14 meeting.

Motion to rescind DGOs 1.02, 3.04, 5.09, 6.08, 6.11, 6.12, 6.18, and 9.03 passed 7-0.

Vote to move into closed session (item 14) passed 6-0 with one recusal.

Meeting Transcript