Tag: deputy sheriff

SFPOA Makes Childish Attack on SFDSA

On January 14, 2023 at 8:12 PM, the San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) made a statement that was misleading and contained falsehoods. The SFPOA claimed that the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) cannot staff the jails, but this is not true. According to mandatory guidelines, SFSO Deputy Sheriffs are required to staff the jails.  The SFSO staffs the jails on voluntary overtime or mandated overtime. The SFSO is working to increase recruitment and reduce overtime, and has made significant progress in recruiting new Deputy Sheriffs.

The SFPOA also claimed that the SFSO lacks the training required to perform their duties. This is also untrue. The SFSO has the same POST training certifications as police officers and more. The only additional training required by the California Peace Officers Standards of Training is an Aviation Security Training course, which is only a 40 hour course. The SFPOA is presenting this as a significant hurdle, but it is not.  Additional training can be easily accomplished. See our current list of training in our article “San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs are highly trained individuals.”

The SFPOA also stated that the SFSO lacks the training to respond to a terrorist attack. The SFDSA strongly disagrees with this claim. In the event of a terrorist attack, the SFPD will turn to the SFSO for assistance. The SFSO has a long history of responding to large scale emergencies such as riots, the Loma Prieto Earthquake, and forest fires. The SFSO also responded to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and worked 24/7 to protect the public.

SFPOA Childish Attack with false info

 

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office (SFSO) has a dedicated Emergency Services Unit (ESU) that includes a Special Response Team, a Crisis Negotiation Team, and a Radio Telephone Operator Team. These teams respond to emergencies within the Department, City, and County of San Francisco, as well as mutual aid requests from other jurisdictions. The ESU also includes a Mobile Field Force (MFF) that is trained to respond to major critical incidents, including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) devices. The MFF is led by a Platoon Commander, an Executive Officer and is divided into four squads.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) has misleadingly claimed that it is not possible for Deputy Sheriffs to work at the airport. However, the SFPD arrest data at the airport is minimal, with an average of approximately 300 arrests per year, and approximately 130 SFPD officers (staffing data from 2020). Additionally, the SFPD has 27 Sergeants at the airport, which is an unusual ratio of 1 supervisor to every 5 police officers. It is clear that the level of arrests at the airport is low and it would be a misuse of City resources to have SFPD at the airport. We will provide updated data as it becomes available.

As stated on Twitter prior to the SFPOA’s misleading post, it is possible for the SFSO to staff the airport. First, we can grandfather in any PD Officer close to retirement. Second, a percentage of the police officers at the airport can return to SF to patrol. And third, the SFDSA will work with the Sheriff to create a functional staffing plan and assist with recruiting. This can be done in a phased approach, not overnight.

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs are Highly Trained Individuals

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs are highly trained individuals who play a crucial role in maintaining law and order within the city. As 830.1 Peace officers, they have the same level of training and qualifications as a SFPD Police Officer.

The training process for a recruit deputy begins with a 6.5-month Post Certified Academy, which is currently held at the South Bay Regional Academy in San Mateo or Santa Rosa Junior College. Once the recruit graduates from the POST Academy, they must pass a four-week Board of State & Community Corrections Certified Jail Corrections Course.

SF Deputies

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office places a strong emphasis on ongoing training for their sworn staff. In addition to the 24 Hrs. of Certified POST training that must be completed biennially, all SFSO sworn staff attend an additional 24 Hrs. of certified Board of State and Community Corrections BSCC training annually. This means that San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs receive more mandated training than a police agency.

In addition to standard training, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office has trained their sworn staff on a 16 Hr. mandatory Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) which emphasizes de-escalation and situational awareness when dealing with individuals with mental disorders, developmental disabilities, and altered mental status. This training was conducted FY 2019-2020 and was again offered FY 2021-2022. Deputies also receive 4 Hrs. of Force Option Simulator Training which emphasizes situational awareness, de-escalation, and Use of Force decision making. All sworn personnel attended in FY 2019-2020 and recently attended 4 hrs. during the recent 2021-2022 cycle.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office also has a POST certified Field Training Program (Like the SFPD) and was one of the first agencies to develop their manual to meet the new POST requirements.

In terms of investigations, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office has their own Criminal Investigations Unit staffed with trained investigators who receive the same POST Training as SFPD Investigators. All investigators have attended the 76 Hr. Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation Training and 40 Hr. Behavioral Awareness Training Institute. They are trained and equipped to investigate all crimes that fall under the Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, including non-custody felony crimes in the field.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office also has an Emergency Services Unit (ESU) with 150 Sheriff’s Deputies assigned to it. All ESU staff are chosen after passing a written and physical exam and receive a 40-hour course that covers advanced firearms training, crowd control, building search, active shooter training, and medical rescue. ESU members receive an additional 40 Hrs. of training minimum.

San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs are highly trained individuals

The Special Response Team (SRT) is a highly trained unit within the ESU. To qualify, members must first be part of the ESU and pass a physical challenge, firearms proficiency exam, simulation exercise, written exam, and oral interview panel. Chosen members are then required to attend an 80 Hour SWAT school and receive additional monthly training.

Finally, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office has a K-9 Unit, where a K-9 Team must attend a 40 hour dog handler course. A K-9 handler must partake in 16 Hrs. of monthly training minimum to meet POST standards to maintain basic patrol and/or detection proficiency.

In conclusion, San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs are well-trained and highly qualified individuals who play a vital role in maintaining law and order within the city. They undergo rigorous training and ongoing education to ensure they are equipped to handle any situation that arises.

What We Did Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, and his wife and son, delivered prime rib and salmon meals to the Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators.

Ken Lomba has been a Deputy Sheriff for over 20 years, and has been the President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association for the past 5 years. As President, he has worked tirelessly to support and advocate for the rights and needs of the Deputy Sheriffs in San Francisco.

Christmas Day Deputy Sheriffs

On Christmas Day, Ken Lomba and his family wanted to show their appreciation for the hardworking Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators who work tirelessly, even on holidays, to keep the community safe. They decided to deliver meals to these dedicated public servants as a way of thanking them for their dedication and service.

The Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators were grateful for the kind gesture and delicious meals, which provided a much-needed break during their long shifts. It was a small, but meaningful way for the Lomba family to show their appreciation for the hardworking men and women who serve and protect their community.

In a world where the news is often filled with stories of negativity and conflict, it is heartwarming to see acts of kindness and generosity like this. 

Overall, it was a heartwarming and thoughtful gesture that was greatly appreciated by the Deputy Sheriffs and Medical Examiner Investigators on Christmas Day. The Lomba family’s act of kindness was a reminder of the importance of showing appreciation and support for those who work to keep our communities safe. So, this was what we did on Christmas Day.

 

San Francisco DSA Obtains Important PERB Complaint Against the SF Sheriff’s Office

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association recently prevailed in a heated interest arbitration with the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff’s Office over the terms of a successor contract.  The continued  ability of the DSA membership to earn and burn compensatory time off  (CTO) was the highest priority issue for both parties.  CCSF wanted to restrict this right in order to reduce overtime costs associated with the department’s chronic under staffing.  Despite that the DSA retained the right to earn and burn compensatory time off in the 2019 contract negotiations interest arbitration, the department attempted to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to unilaterally eliminate member’s compensatory time off rights.   

The Earn and Burn Compensatory Time Off was one of the few personal time off leaves that allowed our members to recover from a highly stressful job in a negative environment where morale is at an all time low.  Also this time off, prevented the department from excessively conducting salary savings.  The Earn and Burn CTO ate into the savings of running overtime excessively and put the department in a position to hire more staff.  This was the only thing left to discourage them from exploiting salary savings, which is relying heavily on overtime instead of hiring needed deputy sheriffs.   

On March 23, 2020, the Sheriff’s Office announced that it was suspending CTO earn and burn based on the COVID-19 public health emergency. The “emergency” exceptions to meet and confer requirements are limited. The Sheriff did not have any financial emergency or staffing shortage that warranted the change. Rather, it was evident CCSF saw another opportunity, citing COVID-19, to accomplish its goal of taking away CTO earn and burn . Violating the DSA’s contract gives the Sheriff’s Office the opportunity to exploit and abuse the salary savings scheme conducting more overtime and hiring less deputy sheriffs.

On April 28, 2020, SFDSA filed another charge based on CCSF’s unilateral decision to suspend the Compensatory Time Off (CTO) agreement. The CTO agreement allows DSA members to “earn” CTO up to 160 hours and then “burn” the hours before they can accrue again. CCSF has made numerous attempts to take away CTO earn and burn.

 

On December 2, 2020, PERB issued a complaint alleging CCSF committed an unfair labor practice by failing to provide notice and an opportunity to meet and confer over its unilaterally implemented changes to CTO earn and burn.

The declared COVID-19 “public health emergency” does not give employers free reign to unilaterally implement changes to wages, hours, or working conditions within the scope of representation.

Read our filled court case here: https://sanfranciscodsa.com/san-francisco-sheriff-miyamoto-violates-deputy-sheriffs-union-contract-2/

SFPD at SFO should be redeployed to the Tenderloin

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 spreading like an Epidemic!

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.”

San Francisco—Polling finds that a majority of voters support a new jail and opposes the outsourcing of our inmates to other counties.

For many years, replacing the seismically unsafe County Jail 4, a maximum-security jail housing inmates that are charged with violent and serious felonies, had been delayed.

“No one is proposing an additional jail.  It is clear that a replacement to the sub-standard and seismically unsafe County Jail 4 at 850 Bryant St must be built. As how we treat those who are incarcerated changes it is critical that we have facilities that include psychiatric care and rehabilitation,” said Ken Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.

Once 850 Bryant St. was slated to close the agencies that moved out, moved to new buildings.

  • The Police Dept. had a new district station built, with parking and amenities.
  • District Attorneys Office moved to 350 Rhode Island and to an office on Brannan St. with parking and parking permits. 
  • Medical Examiners Office had a new office built, with parking and amenities.

But for our members and the inmates in the jail the City continues to ignore the need for a new maximum-security jail. This is critical to their safety and the safety of the inmates.

SF Voters Support New Jail

Our polling found that the majority support a New Jail and the majority Oppose outsourcing our inmates to other counties. Please see the details in the poll download here. [click here]