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Contentious Use-Of-Force Agreement Between SFPD, District Attorney's Office Extended 60 Days

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu have brokered a 60-day extension of the fractured agreement between the San Francisco Police Department and District Attorney Chesa Boudin involving the investigation of use-of-force cases.

Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU), which dates back to 2019, the district attorney's office independently investigates all officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and use-of-force incidents resulting in serious bodily injury.

The DAs office engaged in such an investigation in the case of SFPD Officer Terrance Stangel, who was on trial after being charged with battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and other counts stemming from an Oct. 2019 encounter with Dacari Spiers in the city's Fisherman's Wharf area.

During the trial, district attorney criminal Investigator Magen Hayashi testified that under pressure from prosecutors, she misled police investigators and withheld evidence from a sworn affidavit.

Angered, Police Chief Bill Scott terminated the agreement. Since that time, Scott and Boudin have waged a war of words filled with claims and counterclaims. Bonta, Breed and Chiu stepped into the dispute in an attempt to cool down the situation.

As part of the extension announced Wednesday, Scott and Boudin have agreed to engage an independent mediator, such as a retired judge, to review and resolve any current or ongoing disputes.

The existing MOU with the addition of the independent mediator is currently set to remain in effect through May 20, providing Scott and Boudin an opportunity to renegotiate and strengthen the agreement.

Read The 60-Day Extension Agreement

Bonta said he was encouraged by the deal.

"Independent, fair investigations are a cornerstone for public trust in policing," Bonta said. "I welcome these renewed efforts and commitments to ensure there is a process in place in San Francisco that helps build and maintain trust between law enforcement and the communities we serve. Today's announcement is an important step forward for public safety, consistency for officers, and all San Franciscans."

Breed echoed those sentiments.

"This extension represents another positive step towards ensuring that we have independent oversight in police use of force cases while maintaining a transparent and fair process for those being investigated," Breed said. "San Francisco is a national leader on police reform and everyone involved in this process is committed to seeing that progress continue. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to find a resolution to this issue and I want to thank our partners for their collaboration."

Meanwhile, both Boudin and Scott issued statements in support of the MOU's extension.

"The extension is a common sense approach to give us the necessary time to solidify this critical agreement," Boudin said in a news release.

Scott credited the addition of a mediator as an important step to settling the dispute.

"This 60-day extension puts in place an independent mediator to monitor both parties' conduct and resolve extremely serious disputes that emerged in recent weeks," he said in a statement.

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