Budget proposal holds SFPD funding hostage until reforms happen
Reform or don’t get paid.
That’s the message Supervisor John Avalos is sending to the San Francisco Police Department as part of the Board of Supervisors’ review of Mayor Ed Lee’s $9.6 billion budget proposal, which began Thursday.
On Friday, Avalos will ask the five-member board Budget and Finance Committee to support placing on reserve $200 million of the Police Department’s salary budget. Avalos said that would leave the department with enough funding to operate for the first six months of the fiscal year before having to return to the Board of Supervisors to ask for additional money.
The remaining money would only be released if the department makes specific reforms, like adopting a use-of-force policy that requires de-escalation techniques and “use of the ‘minimal force necessary’ as opposed to ‘reasonable’ force.”
There would also need to be quarterly reports on arrests and use of force, including demographic data and incidents resulting in death or injury.
Avalos made his case during a rally outside City Hall on Thursday morning…
The full board is expected to vote on the mayor’s budget proposal on July 19… (more)
So far SF has only lost one Chief this month. Oakland has lost three. There is a problem with the police culture in the Bay Area that needs to be acknowledged so it can be fixed. Putting salaries on reserve is not a bad way to convince people you are serious about wanting to see an immediate change.
