Rules Committee forwards amended Sheriff's equipment policy and AB 481 compliance to the full Board

The San Francisco Rules Committee voted Jan. 30 to send to the full Board an amended ordinance and equipment-use policy for the Sheriff's Department that the committee's chair said aligns the department's rules with state law (AB 481) and adds reporting and deployment clarifications.

Chair Aaron Peskin thanked Sheriff Vicki Hennessy Miyamoto and department staff for extensive collaboration and said the updated policy and non-substantive amendments circulated that morning address many community concerns. The committee accepted amendments to align the annual report schedule (targeting Dec. 13 each year) and to require that any decision to reintroduce previously unmothballed equipment come with protocols and training.

Public commenters urged caution on weapon deployment in jails and asked for demographic and location data in the annual report. John Lindsay Poland of the American Friends Service Committee recommended decommissioning the MP5 submachine gun or restricting its deployment (no crowd use; only for threat-to-life incidents), and urged language ensuring chemical-agent launchers are not aimed at people. Arthur Koch (a Quaker and member of the San Francisco Friends Meeting) pressed for stronger controls in confined jail settings and requested inclusion of deployment demographics.

Chair Peskin said the Sheriff's office had adopted some changes that morning, including a deletion related to chemical-launcher language, and moved to adopt the distributed non-substantive amendments. The committee unanimously approved both the amendments and a motion to send the amended ordinance and equipment policy to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

Under state law AB 481, governing bodies must make findings about necessity and alternatives before authorizing certain military-style equipment. Several commenters and committee members emphasized that the Board must make its independent findings when the policy comes before the full Board.

What happens next: The amended policy and ordinance will be placed on the Board of Supervisors' agenda for further consideration and any required findings under AB 481.