Police commissioners unanimously approved a new policy on Wednesday that, for the first time in the department’s history, will guide police foot chases for the San Francisco Police Department.
“The policy is mainly geared as an officer-safety policy,” said Captain Sean Perdomo of the Police Academy, who presented the policy with members of the San Francisco Police Department’s Field Tactics and Force Options team.
The policy was developed by members of the police department, but mirrors language already in California’s standardized training for law enforcement certification, Peace Officer Standards and Training, said Lt. Andrew Meehan, who helped draft it.
That language calls foot pursuits ”one of the most dangerous and unpredictable situations for officers” and continues: “All foot pursuits must be considered high risk.”
Perdomo compared the guidelines in the new policy to his own “wish list” for guidance when he was younger.
“Something that you learn, as you become a more senior officer, is weighing the costs and benefits of chasing after somebody.”
Even so, those who presented the policy on Wednesday called it relatively permissive compared to similar policies in other jurisdictions and said it lets officers use their discretion when chasing a suspect down.
“We approached it from the aspect of providing guidelines and direction [for] officers to consider when engaged in a foot pursuit,” said Meehan, “as opposed to having a number of restrictions and a policy that would prevent officers from continuing to do good police work and apprehending suspects.”
The policy begins with an overall statement:
Initiating or continuing a foot pursuit is a decision that an officer must make quickly under unpredictable and dynamic circumstances. An officer may initiate a foot pursuit when they reasonably believe the person has committed an act that would justify an arrest.
Meehan heads the field tactics team, and was formerly head of the SWAT team. His colleagues, Sgt. Justin Bugarin and former SFPD Lt. Michael Nevin, both also in the field tactics unit, helped write the policy.
The four-page policy lists possible safety concerns and changing circumstances for officers to consider, and requires them to “act reasonably” based on the totality of circumstances, much like officers are asked to do across various policies. Officers are generally told to act on the listed considerations, such as broadcasting information, only “when feasible.”
Public campaign against a policy written by the SFPD
Despite apparent agreement on its open-ended, unrestrictive nature — and the fact that the SFPD itself drafted the policy — the proposal has drawn some ire from members of the public as an attempt by the civilian police commission to hamstring policing. Hundreds of people have written to the commission to oppose the policy, after a call to do so spread on Twitter.
Those members of SFPD who spoke on Wednesday, however, were clear: They wrote the policy, after Chief Bill Scott asked them to. The Department of Police Accountability provided input.
The misconception seems to stem from individuals — some employed by the police department — spreading misinformation.
Lt. Tracy McCray, the president of the police union, is one example. Last week, she posted a skeptical take on the policy, which she identified as “proof that our Police Commission has zero clue on how we do our job.”
“Now, [officers] must weigh the risks versus the rewards,” McCray wrote sardonically. “Can I run and talk at the same time when my adrenaline increases?”
What’s more, this policy isn’t entirely new; officers in the Police Academy are already trained using the state standards and guidelines now written into San Francisco’s policy.
How the Police Commission works
“There’s nothing controversial or anti-policing about adopting a foot-pursuit policy,” said Janelle Caywood, the Department of Police Accountability policy director, who called the SFPD members who drafted it “the best and the brightest.”
She lifted a large binder before the commission that was full of 37 foot-pursuit policies adopted by police departments around the country from Dallas to Detroit to Baltimore — some of these policies have been in place for more than 10 years.
“Ours is the best, but it’s also the most permissive for officers,” said Caywood. “A lot of these policies prohibit foot pursuits for misdemeanors or infractions. We do none of that. We really focus on tactics.”
The policy: PASSED
For (6): Larry Yee, James Byrne, Max Carter-Oberstone, Jesús Yáñez, Kevin Benedicto, Debra Walker
Against (0): None
Absent (1): Cindy Elias
The policy will now move to a meet-and-confer labor negotiation with the police union.
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