San Francisco sheriff deploys deputies to fight drug dealing

San Francisco's Sheriff's Department is launching a new initiative to "disrupt" the brazen drug dealing by deploying dozens of deputies to hot spots around the city, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said.

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Sheriff's Department is launching a new initiative to "disrupt" the brazen drug dealing by deploying dozens of deputies to hot spots around the city, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said.

The Thursday morning announcement comes in response to the fentanyl crisis and open drug use on city streets.

The goal is to break up the drug trade, not lock up dealers, said Miyamoto. However, people using fentanyl and other dangerous substances publicly face being arrested.

"We're not advocating for harsher punishments, or increased incarceration for those who are struggling with harmful choices. There needs to be a multipronged approach to these problems, not just a single focus on harm reduction and treating this as a health crisis," said Miyamoto.

Despite being understaffed, deputies will be posted to the Tenderloin and areas with open-air drug markets by the end of June. The initiative is expected to last for six months when it will be re-evaluated, Miyamoto said Thursday in front of City Hall.

To get a sense of the scope of the problem, San Francisco's Police Chief Bill Scott says so far this year, 268 people died from overdoses; a majority of those from fentanyl.

Scott says he welcomes the additional law enforcement partners and says increased enforcement in high drug traffic areas has yielded 183 pounds of fentanyl, or more than 41 million doses, off the streets so far this year.

"Do the math, what would those death numbers look like if it weren't for our people, our police officers, taking that amount of poison off of our streets," said Scott. "So, it is very, very encouraging to me that Sheriff Miyamoto and his team will now be a part of this effort."

San Francisco sheriff deploys deputies to arrest drug dealers

San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said he will use more than 100 officers for six months to combat open-air drug trade in certain neighborhoods. He said officers are not targeting drug addicts, but rather attempting to break uo the opioid trade.

San Francisco's District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says she knows the city can't arrest its way out of a drug crisis, but she says there need to be consequences for those dealing and using drugs.

"Part of the solution is making sure that we have enough law enforcement on the ground, in the Tenderloin, South of Market, and in the Civic Center area to make sure that drug dealers understand that their behavior will not be tolerated any longer in this city," said Jenkins.

The sheriff also said the sheriff's patrol unit, warrant services unit, and field training program will all take on additional responsibilities to address the drug crisis.

Users arrested will also be offered help to enter treatment programs, calling the arrests to be a "low point or a wakeup call" for many.

Gov. Newsom recently announced that the National Guard and California Highway Patrol would also be deployed to San Francisco's Tenderloin to combat the rampant drug crisis there.