Introduction to the SF Police Reform Amendment Campaign

Introduction to the San Francisco Police Reform Charter

The SF Police Reform Charter is a pending amendment to the city charter of San Francisco. It requires approval by the Board of Supervisors, and will then be put on the fall ballot for approval by voters. Updates regarding the campaign against police misconduct and violence in San Francisco will be updated on SF Indymedia. This is an introduction and basic facts about the reform amendment.

The Breakdown in Civilian Accountability of the San Francisco Police
While the "Fajitagate" scandal brought issues of police accountability to the forefront, that one incident of police misconduct serves to highlight a much deeper breakdown in accountability. In the past couple of years, the SFPD has been racked with scandal including:

• A pattern of "obstruction and delay" by the Police Department directed towards the Office of Citizen Complaints' investigations of police misconduct.
• Cases of sustained police misconduct have been dismissed due to the department's failure to act in a timely manner.
• An expose in the San Francisco Chronicle documented that SFPD is last in the country among large cities in solving violent crimes.
• Controversial officer-involved shootings, including the death of Idriss Stelley at the Metreon which alone cost the city $500,000 to settle.
• There are 3500 criminal cases potentially affected by SFPD withholding information from the courts and defense counsel.
• Undercover SFPD officers spied on anti-war protests without authorization.
• The Police Commission refuses to exercise oversight function, hold hearings on accountability issues or deal with issues of community concern, including the Thurgood Marshall incident, despite repeated requests by civil rights orgnaizations and community members.

The Charter Amendment Reforms
The Charter Amendment will improve police accountability by improving oversight mechanisms. The amendment strengthens both the Police Commission and the Office of Citizen Complaints, drawing from recommendations made by the Controller, the OCC and the ACLU. The reforms include:

• Making the Police Commission more representative by increasing the number of commissioners from five to seven.
• Makes the Police Commission have a greater diversity of opinion by splitting appointment power between the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.
• Makes the Police Commission more independent by staggering commissioner's terms and providing that commissioners cannot be removed without consent of the Supervisors.
• Gives the OCC the power to bring sustained misconduct charges directly to the Police Commission when the Chief fails to act or seeks to bury cases.
• Gives the OCC clear power to receive all relevant documents from the Police Department in misconduct investigations.

Keep watching SF Indymedia for further news as this campaign develops.