San Francisco To Hold First Public Meetings For Input On New Police Chief
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The San Francisco Police Commission will hold a series of public meetings starting Monday night to gather community input on the selection of the city's next police chief.
City officials launched a search for a new chief in May following the resignation of former Police Chief Greg Suhr and the appointment of acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin.
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Suhr stepped down immediately after the fatal officer-involved shooting of 29-year-old Jessica Williams, who was the third person killed in a shooting by San Francisco police officers in six months.
Despite efforts to introduce reforms, the former chief had increasingly become the focus of political controversy and protests in the wake of prior police shootings, including that of Mario Woods in December.
Following his departure, officials have said they are hoping to gather community input on what qualities and characteristics the city should be looking for in a new chief.
In addition to five community meetings set to take place this month, officials are also surveying community and department members.
The first community meeting will take place tonight at 6 p.m. at the Alex L. Pitcher, Jr. Community Room at 1800 Oakdale Ave.
Subsequent meetings are scheduled for:
- Wednesday, August 17, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, 950 Clay Street, San Francisco
- Thursday, August 18, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Mission High School Cafeteria, 3750 18th Street, San Francisco
- Wednesday, August 24, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 2850 19th Avenue, San Francisco
- Monday, August 29, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St.Mary's Cathedral, 1111 Gough Street, San Francisco.
Two or three commission members will attend each meeting.
The city will be taking applications for chief through the end of August. Applications will be kept confidential, according to San Francisco Police Commission officials.
Members of the public wishing to provide input on the selection process who cannot attend one of the meetings can also submit written materials to the commission or take a survey online.
A summary of all the data collected during the community input process will be presented to the police commission and the public before candidate interviews, which are expected to take place in late September.
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