Rules Committee advances ordinance requiring Board approval of certain sheriff equipment

The Rules Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted April 24 to forward an ordinance that would amend the Administrative Code to require Board approval of policies covering the funding, acquisition and use of certain Sheriff's Department equipment, consistent with Assembly Bill 481.

Committee members heard an overview from the Sheriff's Office representative Ronnie Singh, who said the draft policy grew from meetings beginning in October and was edited repeatedly in response to feedback from the public and community groups. Singh said staff worked with the American Friends Service Committee and other members of the public, and described "no less than a dozen" edits to the document. Singh also said a sentence about chemical-agent use in crowd-control methods was deleted after consultation, and that the office coordinated with legal counsel to allow a 30-day window following substantive amendments.

Speakers from the American Friends Service Committee called in during public comment. Jennifer Tu said the proposed policy is "more compliant with state law" and incorporates better practices, including clarifications on authorized uses and context on recent deployments; she recommended forwarding the item to the full Board and continuing dialogue on strengthening protections for vulnerable populations. John Lindsay Poland said the Sheriff's Office had been responsive in meetings and urged that submachine guns and items "not authorized for deployment" be phased out; he asked supervisors to consider special protections for children, non-English speakers and people in mental-health crisis.

After public comment, Chair Supervisor Matt Dorsey moved to forward the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation. A roll-call vote recorded Vice Chair Shimon Walton, Member Asha Safae and Chair Dorsey voting aye; the motion passed without objection.

The ordinance was presented as satisfying San Francisco's obligations under Assembly Bill 481; the committee record shows the item is expected to be on the Board agenda on May 2, 2023. Presenters offered to answer technical questions and deferred technical details to a lieutenant and a captain whose names were referenced by the presenters.