On April 27, 2011, I was sworn in as the 42nd Chief of the San Francisco Police Department. Can it be that a year has gone by already? A look at the calendar shows that it is May 2012, so I guess so.
When I became your Chief a year ago, I had so many things I hoped “we” could accomplish – and looking back over the last twelve months, what “we” have been able to get done is nothing short of amazing. But before I go into some of our accomplishments, I’d better define “we”. When I say “we,” I’m talking about the people of San Francisco; the most engaged and supportive residents and businesses any cop could hope to work with, a group of public servants and elected officials led by a Mayor committed to making this City safer, and, last but certainly not least, the men and woman of the SFPD (sworn and civilian) – flat out the best in the country.
So what has left me so impressed? Is it that violent crime is down for a third straight year? Or maybe because homicides are down too? Even more impressive, can it be that non-fatal shootings have decreased by almost 40 percent over the last twelve months? Is violent crime and gun violence down because selfless officers agreed to work more nights and weekends because it was in the best interest of the City? Could be…because many did! Is it that we navigated anxious moments in some of our neighborhoods and at Candlestick during the 49er playoff run or how we handled the Occupy SF demonstrations in our City as well as anyone in the country? Did we get the chance to be all we could be because of the patience our community demonstrated showing the confidence they have in us that made the difference? Could be!
Certainly any Chief would be proud if this was all “we” got done, but there’s more. Our “It Gets Better” anti-bullying and acceptance video is now a national model we are very proud of. We have business cards for each/every officer and sergeant in Patrol. A Community Policing Department General Order was written, supported and approved by the community, and has been adopted as formal Department Policy – finally! We have regularly scheduled retirement, promotional, and award ceremonies, a trend that will continue at least for as long as I am Chief. We formed a new Special Victims Unit to serve our most vulnerable. Lucky we did, because when we were faced with a serial rapist on 24th Street, it was SVU who worked with Mission Station, CSI, outside agencies, and the community to identify and apprehend the suspect in short order. He’ll go into the database and we’ll be waiting, if he ever gets out and tries any of that again. How? We’re on-line now! For the first time in the history of the Department everyone has email and our report writing system is now an organized and searchable web-based system which has been implemented at some stations, and expected to be at every station by the end of June.
Technologically, this is just the beginning! Folks from the tech world are calling asking what they can do to help and we’re answering back, “tell us how you think you can help”...and they are. I could go on and on….and I do whenever anyone asks me how things are going. What is really significant though is that all the effort has not gone unnoticed. The Chamber of
Commerce’s CityBeat Poll in February showed the SFPD with a 72 percent approval rating. The OCC reported to the Commission in late April that complaints through their office are down 8 percent...always good news.
So, again, why am I so impressed? I’m so impressed because everyone did everything that was asked of them and more without complaint. They did it with a bounce in their step, and crediting everyone else but themselves as the job got done. Add to all of this the fact that we are in the schools, engaging kids about the importance of graduating from high school. Talking to young people about choosing to live longer, be more successful, and stay out of trouble. Doing the “front end” police work that will make for a safer San Francisco for everyone later on is the next step. We’re committed to always moving forward!
So what’s next as we move into our sophomore year together? Hopefully, the next generation of officers will be entering/exiting the Academy in numbers this year replenishing our depleted ranks on the streets. These new centurions need to learn how we do things around here. We do things right and practice doing them right until we can’t get it wrong. We pride ourselves on being the smartest, engaging, and classiest cops you’ll find anywhere, and we expect no different from anyone joining our numbers – “SF’s Finest”. More technology will be coming, and we need to be willing to see how it fits or doesn’t fit as it should/could so we can adjust so that it fits “just so.”
There will also be a lot of turnover as some of our most senior leaders finish up DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Program). I thank them for their service to our City. Their big shoes will be filled by a new generation of leaders for whom I have great expectations.
We finally have a non-profit SF Police Foundation in place where our community can donate funding to initiatives they would like to see succeed. Information on how folks can contribute to the SF Police Foundation is available by emailing Captain Ferrigno at: Sharon.Ferrigno@sfgov.org
Well that’s this month’s column. I want to thank everyone for all that you do every day to make our City safer and our police Department shine. You never fail to deliver when called upon and I will always be grateful to you for your support as “we” move the Department forward together.
Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra
Take Care and Be Safe Out There
Greg Suhr
Chief of Police, San Francisco Police Department
