December 16, 2015
Click here to view SFPD General Order 5.01 on the use of force.
To Members of the Media,
Thank you for coming this afternoon.
Since 1849, the San Francisco Police Department has been charged with protecting the citizens of this great City.
The men and women of this department responded to the call to service, and each of us swore a solemn oath to serve the community.
Not for money, not for prestige, but to serve as a first line of defense for every member of our community without regard to race, sexual identity or socioeconomic status.
As someone who has walked in their shoes and served this department and City, I can tell you firsthand that every officer prays every day that he or she is never forced to discharge their weapon, understanding fully the severe ramifications of such actions on the community and on the officer.
In fact, we are vigorously trained to de-escalate dangerous situations and avoid using deadly force at all costs, and our Crisis Intervention Training has become a model for departments nationwide.
Our policies discourage force and prescribe various methods when confronted with situations where control must be exercised to maintain public safety.
Our officers are trained using a variety of tactics including verbal warnings, persuasion, utilizing agents such as pepper spray, department issued batons and bean bag guns to effectively manage imminent, dangerous situations.
We are trained to strictly adhere to codes and departmental procedures like General Order 5.01 which states that "the policy of the San Francisco Police Department is to accomplish the mission as effectively as possible with the highest regard for dignity of all persons and with minimal reliance upon the use of physical force".
It also states that "officers are permitted to use whatever force is reasonable and necessary to protect others or themselves". This has been reaffirmed by the Courts in Graham v Connor.
We are trained to follow these codes and departmental orders. We take them extremely seriously.
The officer involved shooting of two weeks ago impacts all of us both within the department and throughout the community.
On behalf of my members and our Board of Directors, who are standing here with me along with members of the community, we express our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragic event.
Taking a human life is the last thing any police officer desires. We try to avoid these situations at all costs. Regrettably, in certain encounters, this is our final option after all forms of non-lethal force have been exhausted.
To this end, we have engaged the Police Commission not once, but twice, asking it to provide additional non-lethal options to the continuum of force.
Electronic Control Devices, otherwise referred to as Tasers, are widely seen as the safest use of force option for police. A report by the Justice Department under former Attorney General Eric Holder verified that "the use of ECD's can significantly reduce injuries to suspects."
Equipping officers with Tasers has become standard practice. Tasers are used in 107 countries around the world and in nearly two-thirds of the 20,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States.
Over 700 studies have shown that the device is a safer, more effective technology than other uses of force. In fact, it is estimated that tasers have saved over 157,000 lives to date.
In spite of the overwhelming factual evidence, our proposed solution has been twice rejected by individuals who choose to play politics with public safety, and today I implore our elected officials and appointed commissioners to act without any further delay.
It is tragic that it takes the loss of a life to brings us to where we are today, but today we must ensure that out of this tragedy comes meaningful action to move our City forward.
Today, I announce that we are working with the Mayor's office, the Office of the Chief of Police and members of our Police Commission to adopt a pilot program that will allow Tasers to be issued to my members as soon as possible to give them this critical tool to maintain public safety and protect and save lives.
Martin Halloran
SFPOA President
