SF DA wants to prohibit the hiring of officers with history of serious misconduct

SF DA calls for stricter hiring of police officers

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and Supervisor Shamann Walton introduced a resolution that said law enforcement departments should not hire officers with histories of misconduct

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - The recent killing of George Floyd and other attacks on unarmed black people at the hands of law enforcement has led San Francisco's district attorney and city leaders to put forward a resolution prohibiting the hiring of police officers with prior complaints of misconduct.

District Attorney Chesa Boudin and Supervisor Shamann Walton are urging the San Francisco Civil Service Commission to prevent the city's law enforcement agencies from hiring officers with a known history of serious police misconduct.

“Across the nation, we have seen the repeated failures of our legal system to hold police accountable for the violence, abuse, and even murders committed against people of color and especially Black people,” said Boudin. The district attorney questioned, "Our Black and brown community members deserve to feel safe and how can any of us feel safe when local law enforcement agencies are allowed to hire officers with prior serious misconduct?”

Supervisor Walton said the resolution will help cultivate transparency between law enforcement and community members.

“Data demonstrates that officers who kill Black people, and continue to commit excessive force on Black people and people of color, have a history of misconduct and excessive force complaints," Walton said. "We cannot allow these individuals an opportunity to mistreat our residents.”

Some officers under investigation for their conduct often resign, which terminates the investigation before its complete.

"To address this loophole and keep San Franciscans safe, the resolution also disqualifies any officer who leaves a law enforcement job during the course of a serious misconduct investigation, unless the officer has been exonerated," Boudin's office said.

The resolution comes one week after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds as he pleaded that he could not breathe.

Since joining the police force in 2001, Chauvin received at least 17 prior complaints, including police brutality, and was involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting.

Despite those complaints against him, he was allowed to stay on the force.