To: Active and Retired Members
From: Martin Halloran

Officer Chris Samayoa is a textbook example of what a police officer should be.  Based on his resume, he undoubtedly would be hired by any law enforcement agency in this country.  We were fortunate to get him because he wanted to serve San Francisco.  Chris is an exemplary human being.  He was born and raised in the Mission District attended St. Peters as an adolescent. He is extremely well-educated. Class of 2008 Archbishop Riordan High School, University of Arizona (majored in Psychology), and most recently took a leave of absence from completing his Master’s Degree at the University of San Francisco in counseling/psychology to be a part of the 257 recruit class. He has held multiple roles in community mental health throughout the bay area, including Edgewood Center working with Foster youth, and as a case manager with homeless families. He is bilingual and volunteered to help a multitude of people in need throughout his life, including with Habitat for Humanities in New Orleans and St. Martin de Porres in San Francisco.

Chris had a very promising career as a San Francisco police officer in front of him … until last Friday, when Chief Scott fired him.  Chris was fired for doing what he was trained to do by the SFPD Academy, and for what happened on his fourth day on the job under extremely stressful and difficult circumstances.  

This was a needless action as any taken by someone wearing the uniform of our Chief. By all appearances it was to seek political coverage from an OIS that some in the political arena, the media, and the small fraction of nay-sayers, deem to be controversial or “not by the numbers” – all based on 8 seconds of video. 

Let’s not forget that the suspect, who was on parole for armed robbery, who had a violent criminal history record, and his accomplices attempted an armed robbery at a corner store on Potrero Hill; carjacked a Lottery vehicle; assaulted a female state employee, who had to seek medical attention; and then led officers on a reckless high-speed pursuit to a dead-end in Double Rock, where he bailed out and charged directly at the officer.   

This Chief has demonstrated his lack of care or concern for his officers on too many occasions and this latest misguided action will not go unanswered by the POA.

Bill Scott doesn’t visit stations.  He neither visited nor contacted any of the officers who were fired upon at the recent OIS’s at Alameda & DeHaro or 20th & Capp.  He attempted to silence the POA from communicating with the members last August.  He has overridden rulings by his Deputy Chiefs, despite never sitting through the Chief’s Hearings, and imposed harsher discipline on several occasions.  He never bothered to visit our officer who was run over at Alamo Square in an 852 664/187 of a PO – either in the hospital or afterwards.  And he has recently publicly declared his opposition to the POA Taser ballot measure on the June ballot even though he had previously supported SFPD officers being equipped with Tasers at open Police Commission meetings. 

This department has had many chiefs.  Complete harmony in relations with the POA never exists.  But a functional working relationship between the administration and the union that factors in the well-being of those who pushing the radios cars 24/7 usually exists. 

But after last Friday’s firing of Chris Samayoa, coupled with what has happened or not happened in the past 14 months, with this Chief and his administration, it has become increasingly clear that Bill Scott neither knows nor cares to know the officers who protect this great city.  He is in the job to check the boxes.

The Command Staff?  No.  With few exceptions, many of them choose to remain silent preferring to collect their lofty checks rather than stand-up for the troops.  Scott bought their acquiescence early on with promotions to a now inflated Command Staff.  The Commanders, despite rising to their positions under POA support, jumped ship (with one objector) to MEA for a few easy dollars. 

The administration has now sent a Commander to address line-ups claiming that IA Crim is not out to get them.  Don’t buy it.   At these lines ups they are also stating that they will start randomly auditing 100 BWC videos looking for policy violations. What?

The politicians?  Forget it.  Take the Mission shooting.  You have a suspect who just committed an armed robbery with his accomplices.  Secreted in the trunk of the getaway vehicle, ignoring all commands in two languages for ten minutes, he began recklessly shooting at officers.  No one at City Hall or within the SFPD administration had the courage to say a word to support our officers who had escaped being shot.

Contrast that with the courage in the face of adversity shown by our members every day.  

Stay strong, stay safe and do the right thing but the days of the administration or the city saying “we are family and we’ll take care of you” are long gone. It is evident now more than ever that the administration will throw you under the bus for political expediency and that we are on our own. The Chief and the majority of his administration DO NOT have your back. 

The POA has had your back, we continue to have your back, and we  always will have your back.  In our March paid Public Service Announcement on KCBS we touch on some of these issues because it is time to bring this to the public's attention.