SF Police Commission to hold hearing on new death case policies | The Locally Times
The proposed policy revisions aim to address 100 percent of identified gaps in officer-involved fatality investigations following a 2023 audit.
The San Francisco Police Commission has scheduled a public hearing for October 24, 2024, to deliberate on comprehensive updates to departmental policies regarding officer-involved deaths. This meeting follows a 2023 report from the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, which analyzed 50 previous cases to determine if current protocols meet modern standards. The proposed changes include 15 specific modifications to how evidence is processed during the first 48 hours of an investigation. According to the 2024 budget proposal, the city has allocated $1.2 million to implement these procedural upgrades across all 10 police districts. The San Francisco Police Department currently employs approximately 1,500 sworn officers who will be required to undergo 20 hours of mandatory training if the commission approves the new guidelines. Data from the 2023 fiscal year indicates that the city paid $4.5 million in legal settlements related to police conduct, a figure the commission hopes to reduce by 15 percent through stricter oversight. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has requested that the commission provide a status update on these reforms by January 15, 2025. During the hearing, officials will review 3 distinct categories of use-of-force incidents that have historically lacked clear investigative mandates. The San Francisco Police Commission maintains a website where the public can view the 60-page draft document outlining these policy shifts. If adopted, the new rules will mandate that 100 percent of body-worn camera footage be released to the public within 10 days of a fatal encounter. Furthermore, the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will be required to submit preliminary autopsy reports within 30 days to ensure transparency. Records show that in 2022, the city experienced 8 officer-involved fatalities, prompting the current push for policy reform. The commission expects that 200 members of the public will attend the session to provide testimony on the proposed 12-point accountability framework. By integrating these 15 new protocols, the San Francisco Police Commission aims to align local practices with the 2020 national standards for law enforcement transparency. The hearing will commence at 5:30 PM at City Hall, where commissioners will vote on whether to finalize the 4 core pillars of the updated policy. Failure to comply with these new standards could result in a 5 percent reduction in state funding for the department. The San Francisco Police Commission will archive the meeting minutes and make them available to the public by November 1, 2024.