Mayor wants SFPD and DA’s office to work together on gun violence, repeat offenders

SAN FRANCISCO - In response to recent gun violence and burglaries, San Francisco is unveiling a new public safety effort.

Mayor London Breed wants the San Francisco Police Department and the district attorney's office to work on the communication gaps between the public safety agencies that are leaving many residents frustrated. 

Mayor Breed joined SFPD Chief Bill Scott along with merchants on Wednesday for a walk through the Richmond District on Clement Street where there has been an uptick in robberies and assaults. 

The mayor is proposing a plan she says will improve communication between the agencies when it comes to gun violence and repeat offenders. 

"We have to do a better job with coordination around our criminal justice system. You know how much I care about criminal justice reform," said Mayor Breed. "I care about giving people a second chance. But it's also critical that people are held accountable for their actions when they cross that line."

In a lengthy Medium post, Mayor Beed detailed her plan and talked about how to deal with repeat offenders. 

"Too many crimes, including those that have resulted in people dying on our streets, have involved people who have repeatedly been arrested and then, for whatever reason, end up back on the street where they reoffend."

She said a list of repeat offenders should be created by SFPD and categorized by the nature of the crime. That list would then be shared with D.A. Chesa Boudin's office as well as the Sheriff's Department and adult probation for "appropriate action." 

The mayor has also vowed to support the D.A.'s office in upholding this agreement by filling two vacant prosecutor positions.  

The mayor said the city will also receive a $1.5 million grant from the state to bolster its violence intervention program. The mayor said the grant will help the city address gun violence through targeted interventions over the next three years. 

While Mayor Breed said she does not support police department layoffs that could reduce the force by 11%, she has called for across-the-board budget reductions for all city departments. 

Reiterating what Chief Scott had previously said about the department's "last in, first out" hiring policy, the officers who would be let-go would be the youngest and most ethnically diverse on the force.    

"If we were to cut positions, we would be severely impacting our efforts to diversify and reform our police force," Breed wrote. "Of the officers who would be laid off, 30% are Latino, 28% are Asian, and 9% are Black. Cutting officers would mean having a smaller, less diverse force."