Concerns after inmate commits suicide at San Francisco County Jail

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Sheriff's Department says an inmate, found dead inside the county jail Tuesday evening, appears to have committed suicide.

The body of Alberto Carlos Petrolino, 50, was found in a shower of the jail on July 28th.

The man's family and the public defender's office say jail staff had been notified three times that Petrolino might have mental health issues.

"From our perspective there are three huge red flags for why the sheriff's department should keep a very close watchful eye on Mr. Petrolino," said Deputy Public Defender Carmen Aguirre.

Aguirre confirmed the identity of Petrolino from a photo on his Facebook page.

Last Saturday, Petrolino's family called 911 to say he'd gone to the Golden Gate Bridge to commit suicide.

The California Highway Patrol's Marin office responded about 1:45 p.m. when the Bridge Patrol alerted them that Petrolino was intoxicated on a bench in the visitor's center parking lot. A CHP officer conducted a mental health screening and says Petrolino denied being suicidal.

The CHP took him to jail for an outstanding bench warrant. Petrolino had failed to appear in court and had violated a restraining order. The CHP says they alerted jail staff about the suicide call.

"One family member was told he would be on a 72 hour watch," Aguirre said.

When Petrolino appeared in court Monday July 27th, his public defender became so concerned she asked the judge to order a psychiatric evaluation.

"He was crying and she felt concerned about his mental health state," Aguirre said, "The court did order a psychiatric evaluation. We don't know whether or not that actually happened."

The next day, Petrolino was found hanging in a shower. The public defender's office says this is their third client to die in the jail this year.

"Certainly we're concerned about the level of care our clients are getting while in custody," Aguirre said.

The deputy public defender says they hope there's a review of jail policies to prevent this from happening again.

The Sheriff's department says their internal affairs unit, the San Francisco Police department and the medical examiner are conducting independent investigations.