Proposition E
Should San Francisco voters approve changes to San Francisco Police Department policies that would allow more public surveillance and reduce officer reporting requirements for use of force, while also expanding vehicle pursuits?
Changes to policy would weaken the authority of citizen police oversight bodies. It would also allow SFPD to deploy new surveillance technology for a year without Board of Supervisors approval, allow public surveillance cameras and drones with facial recognition technology, loosen restrictions on vehicle chases, and exempt officers from filing paperwork after using force on a suspect if there are no injuries, or if an officer draws his gun. Passes with a simple majority.
Yes Argument
This measure would free SFPD of oversight that can delay implementing surveillance, and that officers are overly burdened with documenting using force on suspects. Reduced paperwork would free up time for officers to patrol streets, and more surveillance cameras may reduce commercial burglaries. It’s time to take power away from the citizen-led police commission, which has become an “activist organization.”
No Argument
This measure weakens citizen oversight of SFPD, giving too much power to the chief. The SFPD has a history of racially disparate enforcement, including use-of-force against the Black community, which strengthens the need to maintain independent oversight. Cyclists, pedestrians and other bystanders are endangered by allowing more police chases. And by easing reporting requirements, it would be more difficult to discover police misconduct.
Key Supporters
In Support
- Stop Crime Action
- SF Police Officers Association
- Anni Chung, president and CEO, Self-Help for the Elderly
- Golden Gate Restaurant Association
- San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations
In Opposition
- ACLU of Northern California
- Cindy Elias, president, San Francisco Police Commission
- The Bar Association of San Francisco
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Angela Chan, former police commissioner