SFPD First Quarter 2017 Use Of Force Report Shows Drop In Use of Force Incidents and Assaults On Police Officers (17-069)

In compliance with the City and County of San Francisco’s Administrative Code Sec. 96A, Law Enforcement Reporting Requirements, the San Francisco Police Department today released its First Quarter 2017 Use of Force Report.

Data presented in the report shows a 15.8 percent decrease in reportable uses of force in comparison to the first quarter of 2016. In the first quarter of 2017, force was used in less than one percent (352 incidents) of the Department’s 161,648 calls for service.

“The data shows that the Department’s efforts to train our officers on tactics such as de-escalation and proportionality is paying off,” said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott. “By emphasizing communication and Crisis Intervention Team training, our officers are ensuring that thousands of our daily calls for service end without injury to the subject or the responding officers.”

Assaults on San Francisco Police Officers saw a 45 percent decrease in comparison to the first quarter of 2016. As of May 8, 2017, the Department has trained and deployed body worn cameras to approximately 1,764 officers assigned to all district stations and specialized and investigative units. Implementation of body worn cameras is designed to increase transparency, improve police accountability with the public, increase the public’s trust in officers, and protect officers from unjustified complaints of misconduct.

The First Quarter 2017 Administrative Code Chapter 96A Use of Force and Arrest Report is available for review and download at sanfranciscopolice.org/2017-admin-code-96a-reports.