I am writing to you regarding the staffing of police officers at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). As you may be aware, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is currently short-staffed, which means that there are fewer officers available to patrol the city and the airport. This has resulted in a flawed system where SFPD staffing at SFO is dependent on the staffing levels of police officers in the city. This has resulted in a situation where the airport is not receiving the level of police coverage it requires, which can compromise public safety.
It is clear that the current system is not working, and I would like to propose a solution that I believe will be more effective. I suggest that the airport should be patrolled by a combination of SFPD officers and San Francisco Sheriff’s Office deputy sheriffs. This would provide a more stable and reliable source of police coverage at the airport, as it would not be dependent on the staffing levels of the SFPD in the city.
To be specific, I propose that the airport be staffed 50% by SFPD officers and 50% by SFSO deputy sheriffs. This would ensure that the airport receives the necessary level of police coverage at all times, regardless of the staffing levels of the SFPD in the city. This would also enable the SFPD to better allocate their resources and focus on improving public safety in San Francisco.
I understand that this may require some changes in policies and procedures, but I believe that it is a necessary step to ensure public safety at the airport. I urge you to consider this proposal and take the necessary steps to make it a reality.
San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs have the honor of having served under the only progressive sheriff in California, Michael Hennessy. Our goal was to promote restorative justice, assist offenders into adopting law abiding lives, reduce recidivism, and improve community life.
The current Sheriff’s Department is headed for disaster. Currently, staffing of deputy sheriff’s is at 70% of what is required, and the current Sheriff has slashed programs, increased lockups (prisoners face 23 hours a day in confinement); blown holes in his budget through mandatory overtime, while increasing administration staff, non-essential programs and taken resources away from our core mission, which is running the jails. Sheriff Miyamoto claims there are 176 vacant positions and as a result inmates receive no family visits, inmates are locked in cells for longer, and all regular programs have been cut leaving only a few video/correspondence programs. Even religious services have been cut. No more Catholic services, no more Protestant services, no more Jehovah services, no Muslim services. And addiction services such as AA have been cut.
As a result, the jail’s current policies of increased lock downs and reduced programs have increased the mental health issues of inmates, imperil deputy sheriffs’ safety due to inmates taking out their increased anxieties and tensions on deputies, and cause more staffing issues by encouraging retirements and deputies to leave their jobs.
In the meantime, the Sheriff faces two class action lawsuits because the jails, ignoring Title 24, provides no outdoor access to inmates, so inmates are housed under fluorescent lights, 24/7, 365, and the Sheriff faces accusations of violating inmates’ constitutional right to sleep by forcing breakfast to wake up between 4 am and 4:30 am for breakfast. These lawsuits have the possibility of large judgements against the Sheriff’s Department.
The new DA Brooke Jenkins’ promise to increase prosecution i.e., of fentanyl pushers, as stated in her press interviews, means an increase in incarceration and we don’t have the deputy staff to properly run the jail.
To meet the needs of San Francisco, the Mayor and the Sheriff must adequately staff deputy sheriff’s, at minimum increase the staffing to the 2019 level, with additional hiring of 82 more deputy sheriffs. Recruiting and retention should be a priority and it hasn’t been. A revolving door at the jail serves the needs of no one. Properly staff our jails. Return all programs, particularly addiction treatment and anger management programs.
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association wrote a letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed and requested that she intervene to force the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office to increase hiring.
SFDSA President Ken Lomba stated, “We have been advocating for hiring over the last 5 years with Sheriff’s Administration. In the last two years the Sheriff’s Office has taken salary savings to an all time high, exhausting our deputy sheriff members.”
San Francisco Sheriff Miyamoto has told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that he will expedite the hiring of 75 Deputy Sheriffs this year. Sixty new deputies and fifteen academy trained and/or laterals. The problem with this is more than 75 deputies will have resigned and retired by the end of this fiscal year which will put the Sheriff’s Office in a further negative.
To operate the San Francisco Jails, it requires 423 deputy sheriffs. Currently the jail staffing is minus approximately 130 deputy sheriffs. This is not the only staffing shortage at the San Francisco Sheriffs’ Office, the Field Operations Division which is primarily patrol and government building law enforcement is approximately 50 deputy sheriffs short. At the same time the managers and supervisors from sergeant to sheriff are nearly 100% staffed. During Sheriff Miyamoto’s term the amount of supervisors’ positions have increased, and field operation positions have increased. Both of those increases had negatively impacted the staffing within the San Francisco Jails.
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association asked Mayor London Breed to intervene to increase deputy sheriffs in the San Francisco Jails.
SF Deputy Sheriffs replacing SF Police Officers at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) would save the City’s general fund by deploying over 200 police officers from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to vacant police officer positions within the City. The initial savings would be 31 million dollars, as indicated in the Budget Legislative Analysis report.
Reallocating some or all of the SFPD resources currently devoted to this low crime area (SFO) to the higher crime areas of the City, like the Tenderloin has obvious benefits. Access to these additional officers for quality investigation of the significant crimes within San Francisco, would protect residents and serve as a fiscal savings in the overall budget. Foot patrols and a larger SFPD presence in areas that attract tourists would provide for a safer experience for the citizens and visitors in San Francisco. In turn, the problems facing our tourist industry and revenues that flow from them will likely improve significantly.
We conducted a survey to see what the voters thought of this idea. 80% percent support the idea of SFSO replacing the SFPD at SFO.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office specializes in addressing the law enforcement needs of government buildings and provides an excellent professional alternative to the San Francisco Police Department. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association urges you to consider, support and implement a phased plan to replace some or all of the law enforcement duties with the SFSO deputies at the San Francisco Airport.
Crime is getting worse in San Francisco which is really hard to believe. This Northern California city welcomes around 25 million visitors annually. Who would imagine thefts in this beautiful city are spreading like an epidemic.
The reported numbers of car break ins doubled over the years from 10,000 in 2006 to 25,000 in 2015. It is a big area of concern for everyone living in this city. According to the published report for burglaries, there is a massive loss of over $13 million dollars to the car owners. Moreover, car owners have to bear a huge repair cost of approximately $350 for replacing broken car windows.
In some areas city leaders are able to address burglaries and other crimes. There is a decreasing trend in those cases based on the reported crime data. But in the case of Property Thefts and Car Break-Ins incidents, the number of reported crimes is still very high. So what do you do? Are there any preventive steps to protect yourself?
Over the next couple days, we will be posting some preventive tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim of property theft in San Francisco. Although the police and deputy sheriffs are taking necessary actions, there are some preventive measurers that can protect you from being a victim. It is better to tackle the problem jointly and reduce crime in the city.
Tip #1 Elect a District Attorney that will hold these criminals accountable. We need a District Attorney that will turn San Francisco around from currently being known as lenient on crime with no consequences to a City that will hold criminals accountable by giving first time offenders rehabilitation options but repeat offenders, organized criminal rings will be held accountable in the justice system.
It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new and independent, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.
“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
More and more car break in’s, now electric car batteries are being stolen! Is everything free in SF for criminals, meanwhile the law abiding person has to pay fines, tickets and deductibles!
Thieves in San Francisco are reportedly targeting Toyota Prius hybrids–and stealing their battery packs and catalytic converters. These items are worth big money when they sell there loot. These stolen Prius parts are sold to mechanics, recyclers’ and sold via online classifieds.
Toyota Prius Burglarized
San Francisco is the most lenient on crime in the Bay Area, if not the state. The lack of consequences for crime in SF makes the criminals even more brazen and you end up footing the bill. Whether its replacing stolen items, fixing your car or paying the insurance deductible. You are not only the victim of the criminal, you are victim of San Francisco’s broken criminal justice system.
In the Wild Wild SF owners of vehicles just about beg criminals not to break into there cars. Should it really be this way?
Or should the people of San Francisco stand up and make a difference with there power of the vote. We need to vote for someone that will stop the car break ins. Someone that will hold repeat criminal offenders and organized crime accountable.
It’s time for someone that will fix our broken criminal justice system. It’s time for someone new, it’s time for a prosecutor who is the real deal. It’s time for Leif Dautch for District Attorney.
“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
Over the last two years data has been reported that Car Break Ins are decreasing and that San Francisco is just under its epidemic level that was reported in 2017 when there were 85 reported car break ins a day. Since then reported data in the news showed fluctuations in the data from 60 car break ins a day to now up to 80 at day.
We are very impressed with NBC’s report. They have put together a very thorough investigation of the San Francisco car break in epidemic. President on the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association stated in a previous article, “I believe there is a cycle of crimes that relate to this starting with illegal drug use. Since Prop 47 when felony drug possession and felony property crimes were changed to misdemeanor crimes it had reduced the length of the prison sentence too, in some cases, a citation and probation. Couple that with extreme reformist district attorneys declining to prosecute crimes, dismissing criminal charges, and offering lenient plea bargains is another issue. Lack of consequences has emboldened criminals. The ease of illegal drug use with highly addictive drugs perpetuates car break-ins to fund the habit and in some cases it perpetuates violent acts because of the effects of the illegal drugs. And on top of that, there is organized crime taking advantage of San Francisco’s leniency on crime. All of this puts San Franciscans in danger,” says Ken Lomba.
NBC reported, “San Francisco’s nearly 30,000 car break-ins last year shattered previous crime records and illustrate an organized and elaborate crime operation that law enforcement calls an “epidemic.”
Of the nearly 30,000 car break-ins in San Francisco last year, the police department made arrests in just 1.7 percent of cases, totaling 790 arrests, according to data provided by the police department and district attorney’s office. Of those taken into custody, most were never sentenced to jail time.
The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit installed four hidden cameras inside a vehicle to expose a rising surge of car break-ins across San Francisco By Bigad Shaban, Robert Campos and Anthony Rutanashoodech Published Feb 25, 2018 at 10:56 PM | Updated at 1:35 PM PDT on Mar 12, 2018
Car Break In Free for All
We fear that some of the victims of the car break ins are not reporting the crime. It is as almost this has become the San Francisco norm. Recently the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association had started a poll on its Facebook Fan Page and the results have been surprising. If you have a Facebook account we encourage you to like our page and take part in the poll. Our polling is trending surprisingly high, showing a trend of victims not reporting car break ins because they feel nothing is being done about it. That means the amount of car break ins can be extremely higher than what the data is reporting. This unfortunately means San Francisco car break ins are a Free for All.
Our association has a political action committee and we will be accepting donations to our PAC to advocate for legislation changes and politicians that will do something about this epidemic. Our fundraising site can be found at sfdsapac.com
The way to fix this is first to elect a stable and well balance district attorney like Leif Dautch. One that will be a working district attorney that has a plan to stop the car break in epidemic. The next step is we have to tighten up some of the laws that were changed under Prop 47 and enhance penalties for violating ankle monitoring and for violating probation. There also needs to be an escalation in punishment for repeat offenders to deter future crimes to “slow down the revolving door.”
With a District Attorneys election coming in November, two out of four of the candidates being a Politician and a Public Defender it may get worse because their policies may encourage crime. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association vetted all the candidates and found the best one to be Leif Dautch for District Attorney.
“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
What do you do when there is an Active Shooter? How do you react? Violence can occur for many reasons whether it’s a violent rage, hatred, a disgruntled employee, or mental illness.
In many cases, there is no pattern or method to the selection of victims by an active shooter, and these situations are, by their very nature, unpredictable and evolve quickly
This Twenty to Ready video helps you know what to do if you find yourself in a mass shooting incident.
The Run Hide Fight video demonstrates possible actions to take if confronted with an active shooter scenario. The video also shows how to assist authorities once law enforcement enters the scene.
RUN and escape, if possible.
Getting away from the shooter or shooters is the top priority.
Leave your belongings behind and get away.
Help others escape, if possible, but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.
Warn and prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
Call 911 when you are safe, and describe shooter, location, and weapons.
HIDE, if escape is not possible.
Get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet.
Silence all electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate.
Lock and block doors, close blinds, and turn off lights.
Don’t hide in groups- spread out along walls or hide separately to make it more difficult for the shooter.
Try to communicate with police silently. Use text message or social media to tag your location, or put a sign in a window.
Stay in place until law enforcement gives you the all clear.
Your hiding place should be out of the shooter’s view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.
FIGHT as an absolute last resort.
Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against the shooter.
Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc.
Be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter.
Throw items and improvise weapons to distract and disarm the shooter.
“Law enforcement will respond to save lives and stop the shooting. These are the heroes that run towards danger, while everyone else is running to safety,” said Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.
Concerns are building about violence against the Chinese Community becoming the new norm. With decriminalization of laws, extreme leniency and little consequences for crime in San Francisco, will attacks on the Chinese Community go unnoticed in SF’s lenient Justice System?
Sasanna Yee Communities As One
Sasanna Yee, “Unfortunately, violence on the Chinese community is becoming the norm. It is occurring almost daily and increasing in brutality. Why is that? This is a serious problem that needs to be examined and stopped. How can we bring more peace and safety to communities living in fear of the next attack?”
Ken Lomba SFDSA President
“I believe there is a cycle of crimes that relate to this starting with illegal drug use. Since Prop 47 when felony drug possession and felony property crimes were changed to misdemeanor crimes it had reduced the length of the prison sentence to, in some cases, a citation and probation. Couple that with extreme reformist district attorneys declining to prosecute crimes, dismissing criminal charges, and offering lenient plea bargains is another issue. Lack of consequences has emboldened criminals. The ease of illegal drug use with highly addictive drugs perpetuates car break-ins to fund the habit and in some cases it perpetuates violent acts because of the effects of the illegal drugs. And on top of that, there is organized crime taking advantage of San Francisco’s leniency on crime. All of this puts San Franciscans in danger,” says Ken Lomba President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.
Grandma Huang Popo photo by her Granddaughter Sasanna Yee
On Wednesday, Jan 9th, an 88 year old elderly woman, Grandma Huang Popo Wong was clinging to life after she was brutally assaulted at a park near her home in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley.
Explaining the photo Marlene Tran said, “Granddaughter, Sasanna Yee’s, capture of the TENDER moments between her Grandma Wong (on bed) and Grandma Yee (sadly, recently passed) makes all of us think of our elderly relatives and especially concerned because of the recent brutal crimes against our Chinese seniors!”
Leif Dautch candidate for District Attorney stated, ”We must send a clear message that violence against the elderly or targeted at a particular ethnic community will not be tolerated in San Francisco, and we must work to expand language access for 911 dispatchers, police officers, and prosecutors so that all victims of crime feel comfortable reporting. Prosecutors can and should explore a wide array of charges for the attackers, from robbery and aggravated assault to enhancements for great bodily injury and elder abuse. These attacks are examples of why I’ll create an Elder Justice Coordinator in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to oversee prosecutions involving elderly victims, to coordinate services, and to interface with community groups and leaders. The status quo simply cannot stand. ”
Visitacion Valley Public and Personal Safety Workshop
Sasanna Yee conducted a Visitacion Valley Public and Personal Safety Workshop to empower seniors to speak up. Many seniors shared their experiences of being robbed and bullied while living in fear in their own community.
The way to fix this is first to elect a stable and well balance district attorney like Leif Dautch. One that will be a working district attorney not a politician (she will jump at every political issue) and not a public defender (he will be focused on how to release the criminals). The next step is we have to tighten up some of the laws that were changed under Prop 47 and enhance penalties for violating ankle monitoring and for violating probation. There also needs to be an escalation in punishment for repeat offenders to deter future crimes to “slow down the revolving door.”
With a District Attorneys election coming in November, two out of four of the candidates being a Politician and a Public Defender it may get worse because their policies may encourage crime. The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association vetted all the candidates and found the best one to be Leif Dautch for District Attorney.
“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
Approximately 8 violent crimes this year that targeted seniors in the Chinese community. We have listed some of the violent attacks that occurred this year.
The World Journal Newspaper, Singtao Newspaper and Skylink TV reported that on Monday, July 15th in the afternoon two Chinese community leaders were violently attacked and robbed in Chinatown by four men.
They were attacked and thrown to the ground suffering from serious injuries. Both men were taken to the San Francisco General Hospital emergency room.
In May, a 74-year old woman was kidnapped and raped in Excelsior on her way to a park for exercise. The brutal crime has alarmed senior residents of the neighborhood, who are still reeling from January’s attack on an 88-year-old grandmother near a Visitacion Valley Playground. Reported by Ashley McBride SF Chronicle.
Grandma Huang Popo photo by her Granddaughter Sasanna Yee
On Wednesday, Jan 9th, an 88 year old elderly woman, Grandma Huang Popo was clinging to life after she was brutally assaulted at a park near her home in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley.
On Wednesday, January 2 in the afternoon, a man entered the apartment of a 99 year old women and sexually assaulted her. This occurred in Chinatown at the Ping Yuen housing projects.
President of the Chinese American Democratic Club Josephine Zhao stated, “SFPD has done a tremendous job on solving these violent crimes targeting the seniors in the Chinese community. SFPD has sent Chinese-speaking officers to work with the community and spent nonstop hours in every one of these cases. SFPD has apprehended most of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes so far. While we need more police to patrol the community, we also need to understand why there are so many similar incidences. We are asking help from all communities get to the root of these senseless attacks. “
“Josephine brings up a good point, why are there so many similar incidents? It might be because the pendulum has swung to far on leniency on crime,” said Ken Lomba the President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. He said, “There is a District Attorney election coming up. The District Attorney is the prosecutor of crime if the wrong person is elected for the job their policies can encourage crime. We don’t need a politician nor a public defender as a district attorney. We need someone that will do the job of a district attorney. That is why we endorsed Leif Dautch.”
Leif Dautch candidate SF District Attorney
Leif Dautch candidate for District Attorney stated, ” The recent violent attacks on members of the Asian American community are tragic and senseless, and they demand a swift and strong response from city leadership and the criminal justice system. We must send a clear message that violence against the elderly or targeted at a particular ethnic community will not be tolerated in San Francisco, and we must work to expand language access for 911 dispatchers, police officers, and prosecutors so that all victims of crime feel comfortable reporting. These attacks are examples of why I’ll create an Elder Justice Coordinator in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to oversee prosecutions involving elderly victims, to coordinate services, and to interface with community groups and leaders. The status quo simply cannot stand. ”
If you compare two justice systems, San Francisco’s compared to our neighbor Daly City in San Mateo County you will find a big difference. Neighborhood Scout database rates San Francisco a low 2 out of 100 (100 being safest) on it’s crime index. San Francisco is safer than 2% of all US cities. The chance of becoming a violent victim in SF is 1 in 138 people.
Neighborhood Scout database rates our next door neighbor Daly City a 39 out of 100 (100 being safest) on it’s crime index. Daly City is safer than 39% of all US cities. The chance of becoming a violent victim in Daly City is 1 in 397 people. A very big difference between neighboring cities.
Fuming Zhang, President of the Chinese American Association of Commerce
Fuming Zhang, President of the Chinese American Association of Commerce, expressed: “We urge the Mayor, Supervisors and City Officials to work with our community and take actions to stop these spreading crimes. We implore the City to provide more funding for the law enforcement and the District Attorney, in order to strengthen the public safety and bring justice to the victims. “
San Francisco is at the extreme on leniency of crime, we need to swing the pendulum back to the middle with a fair and just system to protect San Francisco. Maybe it’s time San Francisco fixes its justice system with techniques/ideas that are working in San Mateo County.
“Paid for by the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association PAC. Not authorized by a candidate or committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.”
