Committee recommends SFPD study to modernize 1972 Article 25 and oversee private security

The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted Jan. 13 to send to the full Board of Supervisors an ordinance asking the San Francisco Police Department, in consultation with the Controller’s Office, to conduct a gap analysis of Article 25 of the police code and recommend how the city might implement registration and oversight of private security firms.

Supervisor Catherine Stephanie, sponsor of the ordinance, told the committee that residents in District 2 reported “troubling allegations” of private security officers harassing people — including young people of color — and cited a high-profile Castro Safeway incident as a catalyst for the review. She said Article 25, passed by the Board in November 1972, requires registration, fingerprinting and ID cards for private-security employees but appears not to have been meaningfully implemented in decades.

"We actually unearthed this article, Article 25," Stephanie said, adding that the law lacks nondiscrimination language and a public complaint process. The ordinance would require the department to produce, at minimum, a registration process, internal SFPD procedures, an appellate process for denied or revoked registrations, nondiscrimination rules and penalties, and a complaint process.

Diana Oliva Oroche, the SFPD director of policy and public affairs, said the department appreciates the leadership and is willing to participate but cautioned that some permitting and enforcement historically fall under state regulators such as the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. "We wanted to understand what our legal responsibility was," Oliva Oroche said, describing SFPD’s collaboration with the city attorney and field operations bureau to identify gaps.

Members heard public comment from District 2 residents who said private security officers had threatened or harassed children of color. Caller Katie Collie recounted an incident in which she said “a private security officer stopped a Black teenage boy ... held him without authority, and threatened him with a gun.” Leo Weinberg and Trish Tierney also called in to support stronger oversight.

Chair Supervisor Gordon Marr moved to send the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation; Supervisors Catherine Stephanie, Matt Haney and Marr voted "aye." The ordinance requires the SFPD to complete the gap analysis within six months of passage and report back on costs, required resources and recommended next steps.

The committee sent the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the Board is scheduled to consider items acted upon today at its Jan. 25, 2022 meeting unless otherwise stated.