DOJ recommends major change for San Francisco PD
- by Erica Wilson
- in Local
- — Oct 16, 2016
The San Francisco Police Department has disproportionately targeted and used force against minorities, namely African Americans and Hispanics, an inquiry by the US Justice Department finds out.
"Trust is the key to the stability of our communities, the integrity of our criminal justice system, and the safe and effective delivery of policing services".
The DOJ identified 94 findings and provided 272 recommendations for improvement within the police department. Instead of submitting information to a searchable digital database, San Francisco police officers write their use-of-force reports in paper logs.
Davis today said that while there was evidence that blacks and Hispanics were stopped and searched more often by police and that most fatal use of force incidents involved people of color, there was not sufficient data to clarify what caused the disparities.
The San Francisco Police Department disproportionately targets people of color, a review by the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services has found.
The San Francisco department, in a written statement, accepted the findings and pledged to comply with the recommendations for reform.
The assessment was broken down into five separate areas of the SFPD, including use of force and bias in policing methods. We must restore trust, " Lee said.
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They were also more likely to be searched by police, even though they were less likely to be found with contraband, the report stated.
However Davis also praised the city's leadership for its willingness to undertake the review in the first place, and for its commitment to reform. Acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin said an audit of the department's electronic communications is now underway and that the results would be made public.
Police in San Francisco said Woods stabbed a stranger and then refused to drop a knife when approached by officers.
City officials requested the review following the shooting death of a young black man, Mario Woods, a year ago and the emergence of homophobic and racist text messages exchanged between officers.
Federal intervention in local policing has become more common in recent years, as a national debate about the use of force against people of color has led to protests and calls for greater transparency after several controversial shootings.
City officials requested the review following the shooting death of Mario Woods, a young black man, and the discovery of homophobic and racist text messages exchanged between officers.
This report comes out at a time when the Police Commission is considering a list of candidates to replace former Chief Greg Suhr, who resigned in May after an officer shot an unarmed black woman who was driving a stolen auto, SF Gate reports. The SFPD isn't transparent about its disciplinary process for officers who are implicated in misconduct, COPS investigators found. The review also criticized the department for failing to audit its electronic communications after two scandals involving police officers exchanging racist text messages emerged in 2015 and 2016.
