Police union to take Taser issue to voters
Convinced that City Hall is making empty promises to arm San Francisco police with Tasers, the Police Officers Association is pushing a ballot measure that would express support for equipping officers with electronic stun guns.
The union’s move to put the “Safer Police Initiative” before voters in June follows the Police Commission’s 4-3 vote on Nov. 3 that supported the concept of arming officers with stun guns, but included no guidelines or timetable for doing so.
“They kicked the can down the road.“said Martin Halloran, the police union president.
After the commission’s vote, union leaders set a 30-day deadline for the panel to come up with a specific policy.
“And from the looks of things, they are not going to have a policy ready anytime soon,” Halloran said.
So the union has hired a signature-gathering company to hit the streets in the first week of December, with the goal of collecting 9,485 valid signatures of registered voters over the next two months that are needed to qualify the measure for the June ballot.
“It will send a message that this is what the voters want,” Halloran said.
When they approved the concept of giving stun guns to officers, Police Commission members said the SFPD could not begin using the weapons until December 2018, after a new use-of-force policy has been in place for two years. The policy — which doesn’t address the Taser issue — emphasized de-escalation tactics and using force as a last resort.
The commission approved that policy after the 2015 police killing of Mario Woods, a stabbing suspect who was armed with a knife but did not appear to be threatening people with it. Police officials argued that had officers been equipped with stun guns, they might not have felt compelled to shoot Woods as he disobeyed orders to drop the knife.
That was only the latest episode in the city’s decade-plus debate over whether to give police stun guns, which opponents say can cause injuries or death. The Police Commission rejected or tabled several proposals before its Nov. 3 vote.
Commissioner Joe Marshall, who voted in favor of giving stun guns to officers, said he didn’t understand why the union was going to the ballot so quickly.
“I don’t get it — we voted ‘yes,’ and we will be developing a policy,” Marshall said. “But that’s their right.”
The union’s proposal calls for all of the department’s patrol, SWAT and transit officers to be trained both in de-escalating potentially violent situations and in the use of stun guns.
“Plus, every blackand-white squad car would be equipped with an external defibrillator in case of a medical emergency,” Halloran said.
San Francisco is one of the last major police forces in the country without stun guns, largely the result of opposition from community groups concerned about the potential for injury and abuses. They argue that the new useof-force policy should be given a chance to work before the city turns to Tasers.
The Police Officers Association, however, thinks the public is on its side. A union-commissioned poll in March 2016 showed that 68 percent of respondents backed arming police with stun guns. A second poll in February, taken by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, found 78 percent support. Peralta problems: The Peralta Community College District, which owns the land in Oakland where the A’s want to build their new ballpark, is facing some tough financial times.
The district’s financial reserves have shrunk by more than $12.7 million since 2015, leaving it with only $7.7 million in savings. That amounts to 5 percent of Peralta’s operating budget, the bare minimum of what the state considers prudent for community colleges.
Peralta Chancellor Jowel Laguerre blamed the situation on rising pension and medical insurance costs and $5 million in uncollected student fees.
The Peralta Federation of Teachers, however, said it was “deeply skeptical” of that explanation. The union lays part of the blame on “administrative overspending and feckless budgeting.” It points to district records showing that central office spending for the four-college district jumped $8.8 million after Laguerre became chancellor in July 2015, to $57.5 million.
Privately, teachers have told us they they fear that the school’s need for money could propel the Peralta Board of Trustees into a lease deal with the A’s, who want to build their ballpark next to Laney College. The team is promising to help the district generate revenue for repairs at Laney and other campus improvements.
Both the union and Associated Students of Laney College recently voted against the district entering into a deal with the A’s.
Last month, Laguerre approved a $25,000 contract for union heavyweight and former Oakland Deputy Mayor Sharon Cornu to help the district weigh the pluses and minuses of a stadium deal.
Laguerre and Peralta board President Julina Bonilla were attending a retreat Tuesday on the budget and other issues, and could not be reached for comment. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross