Police hiring paused to check tests for bias
Breed says officers should reflect ‘best of our values’
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is hitting pause on all of the police and sheriff ’s hires and promotions, making time for an audit of all lawenforcement exams in an effort to root out bias among the ranks.
Breed’s announcement Thursday comes a week after the mayor laid out a fourpoint blueprint on how she envisions reforming the city’s Police Department, which included proposals involving homelessness, mentalhealth issues and racial inequities.
“We want our law enforcement officers to reflect the best of our city and our values,” Breed said in a statement.
“While most do, we can improve how we are identifying the qualities that we want as well as those we know we don’t.”
The latest reform proposals are in response to a national uprising of demonstrations and riots following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a 46yearold black man. Thursday’s order comes as cities and police departments around the nation scramble to address systemic racism and ultimately reinvent American policing — a system that has long driven inequities in communities of color.
The police exam audits are the first directive born out of Breed’s road map. Last week’s announcements were praised by civilrights advocates and police alike but lacked specific guidance, budget analyses or a timeline.
The audits are in reference to one of Breed’s four goals, which is to “address police bias and strengthen accountability” in the Police and Sheriff ’s departments. While the announcement last week stated that the Department of Human Resources would “immediately” start auditing all of the police and sheriff exams, it was not clear if the process would delay hiring and promotions.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement that recruitment and hiring are “critical elements” in the departmentwide Collaborative Reform Initiative. While the department is already making progress in reducing uses of force and eliminating bias, he said, Breed’s initiative will accelerate the process.
“The San Francisco Police Department stands for safety with respect for all, and there should be no place in law enforcement in our city for candidates who fall short of our values,” Scott said. “I’m grateful to Mayor Breed for her leadership in ordering this audit to identify and implement all necessary improvements to our examination, hiring and training practices.”
Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said that his department was one of the most ethnically diverse in the city, and officers are
“mindful” that they reflect not just the people of the community but the values of San Francisco’s residents.
“We are committed to hiring, training and implicit bias reforms that reflect our promise to treat everyone fairly and keep the community safe,” Miyamoto said in a statement.
Tony Montoya, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said the union shares Breed’s goal of ensuring all officers meet high standards and treat everyone professionally and fairly.
“However, we are concerned that the suspension of hiring new officers will significantly hamper our already thinly staffed department, making emergency response times lower and limiting our ability to effectively engage in community policing,” he said.
The audit, which will be conducted by the city’s Department of Human resources and include input from experts in the field, is expected to last three months.
In the meantime, exams for hundreds of potential jobs and promotions will be put on hold. There are currently 833 people eligible to become an entrylevel police officer, 59 eligible to become captain and nearly 600 eligible for a promotion to sergeant, according to city officials.
There are 636 people eligible to become deputy sheriffs.
Human Resources Director Micki Callahan said it’s the city’s responsibility to hire and elevate officers who are patient, compassionate and careful in their use of force, as well as unlikely to let racial bias drive their actions.
“This is an opportunity to implement the most modern and enlightened assessment systems available,” Callahan said in a statement. “When it comes to selecting peace officers, the stakes are too high for us to make mistakes.”
According to the latest figures, the San Francisco Police Department’s sworn ranks are 48% white, 9% black, 17% Hispanic, 17% Asian, 6% Filipino, less than 1% Native American and 1.5% other.