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Mayor Lee and Supervisor Cohen on Department of Justice Decision to Conclude Police Reform Measures in San Francisco

Mayor Edwin M. Lee and Supervisor Malia Cohen today reaffirmed San Francisco’s commitment to law enforcement reform, despite a decision by the Department of Justice to make significant changes to its Collaborative Reform Initiative.

Mayor Lee:

“We made a pledge to the people of this City that we would transform our police department into a model of 21st century law enforcement and we intend to honor that commitment, regardless of the involvement of the Department of Justice.

Our community stakeholders, City officials and the dedicated individuals of the San Francisco Police Department have invested incredible amounts of energy to see these critical reform measures enacted. We have made significant progress implementing these reforms, including initiatives to increase transparency and improve our use-of-force policies to protect the sanctity of life above all else, but work still remains.

We will continue to implement these reforms until all 272 measures have been adopted. That is the promise we made, and we will not rest until it is fulfilled.”

Supervisor Cohen:

“We’re disappointed but unsurprised by the announcement that the DOJ will no longer invest in police reform for San Francisco. The justice department made clear in 2016 that there are tangible, pointed changes that need to occur in SFPD to make our City safer and rebuild trust between community members and the police. Divesting from reform only compounds the distrust that constituents hold.

We will continue to lead as a City and fulfill our promise to the people of fully implementing the changes necessary to hold our police force accountable and bring their policing strategies into the 21st century, with or without the help of the Trump Administration.”