What is community policing? It is the police force working WITH the community to solve the situations that arise in a community that the community can’t solve on their own. All of us involved in Neighborhood Watch Groups know how important community policing is when we seek ways to solve problems that arise in our neighborhoods. We have different problems and we want different solutions. Different solutions to different problems are the essence of community policing and an involved citizenry is essential to the solution.
The Board of Directors of SF SAFE has communicated our desire to the Mayor and the Police Commission for a committed community-policing Chief as the next Chief of Police in San Francisco.
In the May 24th Chronicle Matier & Ross wrote an article headlined “Fong Takes Parting Shots at Possible Successors” laying out actions taken against some very popular captains. What is going on?
I think we are seeing politics at its ugliest, leaks to the press of the names of the finalists from outside the SFPD causing them to withdraw their candidacy, actions against the in-house SFPD finalists in retaliation. I don’t think this is what the citizens of San Francisco need or want.
I believe we want a Chief that is committed to working with the community, modernizing the police force, instituting the best practices as described in the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) – basically bring our police force into the 21st century and strive to make it one of the best police forces in the country. Inside – outside it doesn’t matter, what matters is that success be measured by the accomplishments of those goals.