Justice Department Announces “Comprehensive Review” of San Francisco Police Department

The US Justice Department is launching an investigation into the San Francisco police’s use of excessive force after a 26-year-old black man was killed in a hail of police bullets in December.

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, who requested the investigation, are both expected to attend a news conference today as the probe is announced.

Williams said she now feels unsafe while on patrol, as she can only guess as to how her fellow officers might act if she needs support in the line of duty.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Brian Stretch, DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Director Ronald Davis, DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Chief Noble Wray, and San Francisco’s mayor and police chief are scheduled to speak at 2 p.m.

Police said Woods stabbed a stranger and then refused to drop a knife when approached by officers.

Zimring said San Francisco police had a very low rate of fatal officer-involved shootings between 2009 and 2012, when he studied use of force in 14 major police departments.

This review is meant to be a comprehensive examination of the police department’s policies and practices as well as how officers are kept accountable.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco police officers are being asked to combat racism in the ranks and take a pledge to turn in colleagues displaying intolerant behavior, such as slurs and jokes targeting people of color, gays and women. And he added that the department’s policies would be reviewed to ensure “that using lethal force is the last resort”. Pattern-and-practice investigations, handled by the Civil Rights Division and meant to identify department-wide civil rights violations, typically result in court-ordered reforms that are monitored by a judge or a third party, and sometimes last more than a decade. The review was initiated [AP report] in the aftermath of the filmed shooting of Mario Woods, an African American male, by San Francisco policemen in December.

A police department-affiliated website http://notonmywatchsfpd.org/, has created a 10-minute video with the police chief, officers and civic leaders to help people understand how to report their complaints about police.

Protesters claim the San Francisco mayor is more interested in accommodating the National Football League for the Super Bowl in the city than repairing the wounds between the officers and communities after the Woods shooting.

Despite being struck with police bean bag rounds and pepper spray, Woods, still armed with a knife, attempted to walk away.

They were all placed on administrative leave while the shooting was investigated. The DOJ investigation was also prompted by homophobic and racists text messages exchanged among several San Francisco officers.