Why Should I Care About Policing Practices?
Right now, the San Francisco Police Department has hundreds of reform initiatives. You deserve clear explanations of what these reforms will do. How are they prioritized? Who is responsible? Why are we making these changes? How will this impact my life? What about my neighbor’s life? How do we know if a reform is working? What if some people benefit, but other people suffer? Now is a powerful time to get involved. Your questions and comments on policing practices will change what happens.
Download our Police in San Francisco FAQ Flyer.
Our goal is for all San Franciscans to understand and shape policing practices.
Invitation to 2019 Summer Policing Events
July 22, 2019 noon-1pm – Want to learn the basics of observing public meetings? Join our free online Observer Corps Training during your lunchtime, using your computer or smartphone. Please register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5943211492077617419
July 30, 2019 from 6-8pm– Want to learn the basics of observing public meetings and get practical experience? This evening we’ll start by observing the Mission District Police Community Meeting from 6-7pm, then do a short training based on what we saw from 7-8pm. Please RSVP: volunteer@lwvsf.org
August 6 evening – we are participating in both the National Night Out for Safety and Liberation in Mission Bay and San Francisco Police Department National Night Out events held throughout the city. We are looking for members to help hand out the League’s FAQ about policing at these events. More details to follow as we learn more about the specifics of the events around San Francisco. Check our Calendar page for updates. Please RSVP: volunteer@lwvsf.org
Have you seen the California Police Scorecard?
Learn the facts about police violence and accountability. Each department is evaluated on the number of deadly force incidents, citizen complaints of police misconduct and arrests made. A grade from A - F is assigned.
View the Police Scorecard for San Francisco.
What Can I Do to Improve Policing Practices?
1. Become an Observer
Make sure all San Franciscans know about meetings, decisions, policies, programs and their impact. There are a wide variety of meetings dealing with policing practices: Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, Police Oversight Commissions, neighborhood Police District and Supervisor Community Meetings, and more. We will train you to:
- request information
- share information (reports, social media, newsletters, events, etc.)
- invite others to learn about policing practices
We’re happy to train you and have you then go off on your own. The most important thing for us is to get you involved. But if you agree to adhere to a few League standards, you may become an official League observer!
2. Join a stakeholder interview
It is a lot of fun and very informative to be part of the League’s interviews with government. You’ll be part of a group responsible for setting up, holding, and reporting on the interview. Likely interviews will be with:
- City Mayor
- eleven members of the Board of Supervisors and their staff
- District Attorney and their staff
- Police Chief
- ten Police District Captains and their staff
- seven San Francisco Police Commissioners
- Department of Police Accountability
- State Assembly members (eastern 17 and western 19)
- State Senator
3. Learn about policing practices with us
We’re putting together resources and events about policing practices in San Francisco. We will be sharing more information here. To stay informed, we recommend you:
Sign up for our email newsletter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Come to an event on our calendar
Please donate today to support our Policing Practices work.
