Join the San Francisco Police Officers Association and Supervisor Scott Wiener for the Ice Bucket Challenge with Hot Cop of the Castro, Chris Kohrs. The event will be hosted by The Café, and all funds raised will support the Officer Down Memorial Fund. Purchase your ticket at http://memorialfund.eventbrite.com
SFPOA Staff Report
The San Francisco Police Department was down by 300 officers at the beginning of this summer and yet, you got the job done. And, even with the additional workload, a recent San Francisco Police Officers’ poll showed that San Francisco police officers are viewed as caring, trustworthy, and committed to their jobs by the citizens of this Great City.
Here’s a few examples why:
Officer Daniel Kroos
Officer David Sands
On August 11, 2014, a decision was rendered in People v. Superior Court of San Francisco County (Daryl Lee Johnson). The court held that the prosecution must have access to peace officer personnel files in order to identify impeachment evidence under Brady v. Maryland (1963) 373 U.S. 83. Under this ruling, prosecutors will now be required to search the personnel file of a peace officer each time the officer is subpoenaed as prosecution witnesses.
Policing and the Creation of a Cosmopolitan Liberal Politics, 1950-1972
Reviewed by Dennis Bianchi
The author of this book, Christopher Lowen Agee, is an assistant professor in the history department at the University of Colorado, Denver. This is his first book. Current officers of the San Francisco Police Department will likely find the book a bit startling and hard to believe. He paints a rather ugly picture of The City during the middle of the last century. It has been one of the most difficult books for me to read and review.
On January 26, 2015, Officer Ronald Hill, Airport Bureau, lost a valiant fight with cancer. All the men and women of the San Francisco Police Officers Association join me in extending sympathy and condolences to Ronald’s family, friends, and co-workers.
Ronald Hill was sworn into the SF Airport Police on March 8, 1976. He served his entire career at the Airport, serving as a Field Training Officer, a plainclothes detail, and certified collision reconstructionist. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren
Members of the SFPD Marine Unit were recently informed by associates of the maritime community that a wanted fugitive was hiding in the area of Pier 47. Sergeant Dan Laval, Officer Nicholas Bettencourt, and Officer John Broucaret surrounded the location pointed out and, after a painstaking search, located the suspect and had him in custody within hours.
A few days later and Sergeant Keith Matthews, Officer Mark Monpas, and Officer Braden Todaro also of the SFPD Marine Unit came upon an oil leak from a nearby tanker. They immediately notified the US Coast Guard and conducted a perimeter assessment of the damage incurred. Turned out that the tides were bringing a massive amount of oil directly toward Pier 45 where there were over 35 fishing boats docked. Sergeant Matthews directed the employment of a 700 foot absorbent boom to contain the seepage and, in doing so, the SFPD Marine Unit saved the local owners of the fishing vessels from a disastrous financial burden that would have directly impacted their livelihood.
It’s a month later and Officer John Van Koll, Officer Joel Salmonson, and Officer Edward Carew were investigating a domestic violence situation where the male suspect had twisted a woman’s arm until her collar bone dislocated from her neck and a few days later almost broke her leg in a violent attack fueled by alcohol. They located the suspect who was hiding out on a boat docked nearby but totally out of range of the officers on shore. A quick call to the SFPD Marine Unit broughtSergeant Keith Matthews and Officer Mark Monpas on scene and they managed to board and take the suspect into custody.
The Department should probably extend their Protect and Serve logo to include “on both land and sea!”
The information received by Officer Yaroslav Shablinksy and Officer Sarah Vallarino indicated that a man working at a nearby gas station was supplementing his income by selling drugs as well. A preliminary investigation revealed this subject had agreed to a warrantless search of his person and property as a condition of his probation for . . . selling drugs. The officers took additional time to conduct a surveillance of the business and, sure enough, the suspect went to his car every time he encountered an individual who approached him. The officers proceeded with their investigation and found the suspect’s car was nothing short of a mobile pharmacy - minus the license to prescribe what was inside. A further inquiry at the home of the felon resulted in the officers taking a young child into protective custody.
Domestic violence and child abuse are among the most serious crimes an officer encounters and that was exactly what occurred when Officer Christopher Eggers and Officer Blake Cunningham were called to the scene of what was originally cast as a minor incident. The officers noticed the woman reportee had injuries consistent with being hit in the face numerous times and her 11-year old son had a swollen right eye. Although reluctant at first, the reportee eventually told the officers that her husband had beaten them and then left right before they arrived. The victim related what occurred as a result of the concern and empathy the officers showed as well as the alternatives they suggested. Officer Eggers and Officer Cunningham later managed to locate the suspect and placed him into custody for the injuries incurred by the family he once terrorized.
Driving a car with a suspended license and being on probation for various crimes are not a good mix if you are transporting narcotics and weapons. Especially if you’re known to the officers in the district where you are operating your illegal activities. Such was the case when Officer Ali Misaghi, Officer Brent Cader, and Officer Edric Talusan noticed just such an individual driving right by them. They made contact with the driver and, after a brief detention and subsequent investigation, they found that he was in possession of a concealed and fully-loaded 40 caliber semi-automatic reported stolen as well as a great quantity of methamphetamine. The gun, suspect, and narcotics are no longer a threat to the community thanks to the outstanding work of these officers.
One of the higher priorities following events at AT&T Park is to monitor activities around the Market Street Corridor. That’s exactly what Sergeant Brian Oliver and his crew (Officer Zachary McAuliffe, Officer Patrick Woods, Officer Richard Gutierrez, Officer David Vizcay, Officer Bret Grennell, Officer Mazi Sadiki, and Officer Irvin Huerta) were doing recently when they were dispatched to a fight at 6th and Market Streets. Seems as though 2 different groups were having words when the officers arrived and, after some time, they were able to separate the combatants and they were sent on their way. Shortly after, one of the groups apparently armed themselves and came back looking to finish what they started. That’s when Officer McAuliffe noticed one individual in particular that seemed as though he was hiding something under his sweatshirt. Turned out that the object he was concealing was a fully-loaded, .45 caliber semi-automatic weapon with 7 rounds ready to go. Suspect and weapon in custody and what could have been a fatal incident was resolved quickly due to the attentiveness and professionalism of the officers involved.
Reports of a serious assault taking place at Connecticut and Wisconsin Streets brought Officer Alexander Lentz, Officer Leo Bernstein, and Officer Jeffrey Fortuno to the scene. Once there, they observed one woman beating another with a heavy metal bracket. The victim was on the ground and bleeding. The officers immediately disarmed the suspect and took her into custody while arranging for medical treatment for the seriously injured victim. The rest of the processing was nothing new to the suspect since she was already on felony probation.
Just before noon, the broadcast from Dispatch described a man in the area of Keith and Hudson who was dressed in army fatigues and waving a gun around. Officer Sher Khan, Officer Agustin Perez, Officer Alvaro Mora, and Officer Stephen Coleman responded to the scene. The officers immediately surrounded the suspect as he placed the gun into his backpack and then ran from the area. The foot chase involved several blocks with Officer Brent Cader and Officer Edric Talusan also getting involved at the end when they had to tackle the extremely violent and crazed individual. Turned out the gun the suspect had was a fully-loaded, 9mm semi-automatic weapon.
A special welcome to Luke and Dominic and, for the rest of you, stay safe!
Mark your calendars for the following meetings and events by the POA and its friends and supporters. All dates and times are subject to last minute changes, so always contact the event coordinator to confirm dates and times. If you have an event you would like posted on our calendar, contact the editor at journal@sfpoa.org.
To the members of the Democratic County Central Committee.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) has strong objections to the resolution on the agenda before the Board. Click here to read the resolution. The members I represent take an oath to protect and serve the people of our great City. Regardless of race, socio-economic background, sexual orientation or religion. We work and put ourselves in harm’s way, for you, the people who live and work in San Francisco. The POA has studied the 10 point plan from Mr. Adachi and 80% of this plan has been in place and/or is currently being done within the SFPD. The remaining suggestions are contrary to state and federal law.
Sadly, this resolution is unfortunately lazy. It is political posturing and an attempt to score cheap political points at the expense of 2,000 men and women who put their lives on the line every day and are committed to the health, safety and well-being of all San Franciscans.
The POA learned about this resolution less than 48 hours ago. The POA received no calls, emails or meeting requests to discuss ways we can possibly work together to bring about meaningful change through dialogue, data, and collaboration. As an association, we are more than willing to engage, exchange ideas and find ways to be as effective as possible. The POA agrees that we can always improve, always learn from best practices and share information that makes us better officers serving the community.
But efforts like this show a lack of respect for the men and women who respond to all calls for service and put their lives on the line, never knowing when any call could turn into a life threatening situation.
I ask that you oppose this resolution for what it is. A weak attempt to take advantage and score political points. Genuine policy is established through dialogue, not in front of cameras for a sound bite, but through discussion, understanding and a willingness to find common ground.
I respectfully ask that you oppose this resolution and I hope the next time you consider another effort such as the one being displayed here this evening, that you will offer the respect my members deserve and work with us, instead of against us, in the name of public safety.
Sincerely,
Martin Halloran
President
San Francisco Police Officers Association
The Police Officers Association’s Community Investment Grant is a $5,000 donation to worthwhile neighborhood and community groups throughout San Francisco. Grants are awarded on a quarterly basis to a community nonprofit or neighborhood organization to fund -- based on merit and need -- those projects that foster positive experiences for children and the surrounding community like park equipment, urban beautification, and sports equipment.
Each grant will be awarded to the deserving organization at a community-wide event attended by POA leadership, the recipient organization, community leadership and district supervisors.
General Requirements
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Please ensure you have the following in order to be eligible for a POA community investment grant:
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The POA will not fund organizations that, in their by-laws, policies or practices, discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or any basis prohibited by applicable law.
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POA grants may be used only for charitable purposes and must not be used to promote or oppose any candidate or ballot measure, to advocate any legislative or administrative action, or to personally benefit or compensate any elected official.
APPLY TODAY!
The national discussion – or, debate – about body cameras on police officers has reached a fevered pitch. Governments local and state are suddenly finding millions of dollars in their coffers to buy and rig out cops and deputies with the never-blink devices. But, that’s for the hardware, which is the easy part. The hard part of the plan is developing a coherent POLICY!
The cameras can be pulled off a shelf, ready to go. But the policy and procedure for body camera use has no template. To be generous, the policy about body camera use is a work in progress, and the work is not going well.
Around the country, as reflected in every form of media, the policy of deploying officers with cameras is completely befuddled. The issues have raised compound questions. When to wear them? Where to mount them? When to turn them on? When to turn them off? Who will review the video? Who won’t? What about privacy? What about editing? What about archiving? What about admissibility? The debates are endless.
This month, I am running in my column an excellent perspective on this issue, one published by the Force Science Institute. SFPD retiree, William Kidd, a long-time advocate of peace officer rights, and former POA activist, forwarded the article to me. In his email, he wrote:
“You’re probably already aware of this info, but in case not I thought you might want to see it, given current events. You should certainly determine strategy, but it occurred to me to ask Editor Shine to reprint this in the next available POA Journal. I think it’s information about which not only all members should be aware, but made available to the general public as well.
Best wishes, Bill”
Thank you, Bill. This is good stuff.
Slainte!
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10 Limitations of Body Cams you Need to Know for your Protection
A special report from the Force Science Institute
Forwarded to the Journal
by William Kidd, Retired SFPD
Editor’s note: In light of recent high profile use-of-force news, increasing pressure for departments to adopt body cameras and a noticeable increase in requests for additional copies of the following Force Science Institute report, we are retransmitting this piece. It is important to note that we are not taking a position against body cameras. We feel that they can provide information that can be helpful to investigators. However, they can be fraught with limitations that MUST be understood in order to ensure fair, accurate and thorough investigations.
Please note that key issues related to limitations of body cameras will also be discussed in detail in upcoming Force Science Certification Courses.
E-mail: training@forcescience.org to register or for more details or visit: www.forcescience.org
[Feel free to widely disseminate the following article, originally transmitted 09-23-14]
The idea is building that once every cop is equipped with a body camera, the controversy will be taken out of police shootings and other uses of force because “what really happened” will be captured on video for all to see.
Well, to borrow the title from an old Gershwin tune, “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”
There’s no doubt that body cameras—like dash cams, cell phone cams, and surveillance cams—can provide a unique perspective on police encounters and, in most cases, are likely to help officers. But like those other devices, a camera mounted on your uniform or on your head has limitations that need to be understood and considered when evaluating the images they record.
“Rushing to condemn an officer for inappropriate behavior based solely on body-camera evidence can be a dicey proposition,” cautions Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the Force Science Institute. “Certainly, a camera can provide more information about what happened on the street. But it can’t necessarily provide all the information needed to make a fair and impartial final judgment. There still may be influential human factors involved, apart from what the camera sees.”
In a recent conversation with Force Science News, Lewinski enumerated 10 limitations that are important to keep in mind regarding body-camera evidence (and, for the most part, recordings from other cameras as well) if you are an investigator, a police attorney, a force reviewer, or an involved officer. This information may also be helpful in efforts to educate your community.
1. A Camera Doesn’t Follow Your Eyes Or See As They See.
At the current level of development, a body camera is not an eye-tracker like FSI has used in some of its studies of officer attention. That complex apparatus can follow the movement of your eyes and superimpose on video small red circles that mark precisely where you are looking from one microsecond to the next.
“A body camera photographs a broad scene but it can’t document where within that scene you are looking at any given instant,” Lewinski says. “If you glance away from where the camera is concentrating, you may not see action within the camera frame that appears to be occurring ‘right before your eyes.’
“Likewise, the camera can’t acknowledge physiological and psychological phenomena that you may experience under high stress. As a survival mechanism, your brain may suppress some incoming visual images that seem unimportant in a life-threatening situation so you can completely focus very narrowly on the threat. You won’t be aware of what your brain is screening out.
“Your brain may also play visual tricks on you that the camera can’t match. If a suspect is driving a vehicle toward you, for example, it will seem to be closer, larger, and faster than it really is because of a phenomenon called ‘looming.’ Camera footage may not convey the same sense of threat that you experienced.
“In short, there can be a huge disconnect between your field of view and your visual perception and the camera’s. Later, someone reviewing what’s caught on camera and judging your actions could have a profoundly different sense of what happened than you had at the time it was occurring.”
2. Some Important Danger Cues Can’t Be Recorded.
“Tactile cues that are often important to officers in deciding to use force are difficult for cameras to capture,” Lewinski says. “Resistive tension is a prime example.
“You can usually tell when you touch a suspect whether he or she is going to resist. You may quickly apply force as a preemptive measure, but on camera it may look like you made an unprovoked attack, because the sensory cue you felt doesn’t record visually.”
And, of course, the camera can’t record the history and experience you bring to an encounter. “Suspect behavior that may appear innocuous on film to a naive civilian can convey the risk of mortal danger to you as a streetwise officer,” Lewinski says. “For instance, an assaultive subject who brings his hands up may look to a civilian like he’s surrendering, but to you, based on past experience, that can be a very intimidating and combative movement, signaling his preparation for a fighting attack. The camera just captures the action, not your interpretation.”
3. Camera Speed Differs From The Speed Of Life.
Because body cameras record at much higher speeds than typical convenience store or correctional facility security cameras, it’s less likely that important details will be lost in the millisecond gaps between frames, as sometimes happens with those cruder devices.
“But it’s still theoretically possible that something as brief as a muzzle flash or the glint of a knife blade that may become a factor in a use-of-force case could still fail to be recorded,” Lewinski says.
Of greater consequence, he believes, is the body camera’s depiction of action and reaction times.
“Because of the reactionary curve, an officer can be half a second or more behind the action as it unfolds on the screen,” Lewinski explains. “Whether he’s shooting or stopping shooting, his recognition, decision-making, and physical activation all take time—but obviously can’t be shown on camera.
“People who don’t understand this reactionary process won’t factor it in when viewing the footage. They’ll think the officer is keeping pace with the speed of the action as the camera records it. So without knowledgeable input, they aren’t likely to understand how an officer can unintentionally end up placing rounds in a suspect’s back or firing additional shots after a threat has ended.”
4. A Camera May See Better Than You Do In Low Light.
“The high-tech imaging of body cameras allows them to record with clarity in many low-light settings,” Lewinski says. “When footage is screened later, it may actually be possible to see elements of the scene in sharper detail than you could at the time the camera was activated.
“If you are receiving less visual information than the camera is recording under time-pressured circumstances, you are going to be more dependent on context and movement in assessing and reacting to potential threats. In dim light, a suspect’s posturing will likely mean more to you immediately than some object he’s holding. When footage is reviewed later, it may be evident that the object in his hand was a cell phone, say, rather than a gun. If you’re expected to have seen that as clearly as the camera did, your reaction might seem highly inappropriate.”
On the other hand, he notes, cameras do not always deal well with lighting transitions. “Going suddenly from bright to dim light or vice versa, a camera may briefly blank out images altogether,” he says.
5. Your Body May Block The View.
“How much of a scene a camera captures is highly dependent on where it’s positioned and where the action takes place,” Lewinski notes. “Depending on location and angle, a picture may be blocked by your own body parts, from your nose to your hands.
“If you’re firing a gun or a Taser, for example, a camera on your chest may not record much more than your extended arms and hands. Or just blading your stance may obscure the camera’s view. Critical moments within a scenario that you can see may be missed entirely by your body cam because of these dynamics, ultimately masking what a reviewer may need to see to make a fair judgment.”
6. A Camera Only Records In 2-D.
Because cameras don’t record depth of field—the third dimension that’s perceived by the human eye—accurately judging distances on their footage can be difficult.
“Depending on the lens involved, cameras may compress distances between objects or make them appear closer than they really are,” Lewinski says. “Without a proper sense of distance, a reviewer may misinterpret the level of threat an officer was facing.”
In the Force Science Certification Course, he critiques several camera images in which distance distortion became problematic. In one, an officer’s use of force seemed inappropriate because the suspect appears to be too far away to pose an immediate threat. In another, an officer appears to strike a suspect’s head with a flashlight when, in fact, the blow was directed at a hand and never touched the head.
“There are technical means for determining distances on 2-D recordings,” Lewinski says, “but these are not commonly known or accessed by most investigators.”
7. The Absence Of Sophisticated Time-Stamping May Prove Critical.
The time-stamping that is automatically imposed on camera footage is a gross number, generally measuring the action minute by minute. “In some high-profile, controversial shooting cases that is not sophisticated enough,” Lewinski says. “To fully analyze and explain an officer’s perceptions, reaction time, judgment, and decision-making it may be critical to break the action down to units of one-hundredths of a second or even less.
“There are post-production computer programs that can electronically encode footage to those specifications, and the Force Science Institute strongly recommends that these be employed. When reviewers see precisely how quickly suspects can move and how fast the various elements of a use-of-force event unfold, it can radically change their perception of what happened and the pressure involved officers were under to act.”
8. One Camera May Not Be Enough.
“The more cameras there are recording a force event, the more opportunities there are likely to be to clarify uncertainties,” Lewinski says. “The angle, the ambient lighting, and other elements will almost certainly vary from one officer’s perspective to another’s, and syncing the footage up will provide broader information for understanding the dynamics of what happened. What looks like an egregious action from one angle may seem perfectly justified from another.
“Think of the analysis of plays in a football game. In resolving close calls, referees want to view the action from as many cameras as possible to fully understand what they’re seeing. Ideally, officers deserve the same consideration. The problem is that many times there is only one camera involved, compared to a dozen that may be consulted in a sporting event, and in that case the limitations must be kept even firmer in mind.
9. A Camera Encourages Second-Guessing.
“According to the U. S. Supreme Court in Graham v. Connor, an officer’s decisions in tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situations are not to be judged with the ‘20/20 vision of hindsight,’ “ Lewinski notes. “But in the real-world aftermath of a shooting, camera footage provides an almost irresistible temptation for reviewers to play the coulda-shoulda game.
“Under calm and comfortable conditions, they can infinitely replay the action, scrutinize it for hard-to-see detail, slow it down, freeze it. The officer had to assess what he was experiencing while it was happening and under the stress of his life potentially being on the line. That disparity can lead to far different conclusions.
“As part of the incident investigation, we recommend that an officer be permitted to see what his body camera and other cameras recorded. He should be cautioned, however, to regard the footage only as informational. He should not allow it to supplant his first-hand memory of the incident. Justification for a shooting or other use of force will come from what an officer reasonably perceived, not necessarily from what a camera saw.”
[For more details about FSI’s position on whether officers should be allowed to view video of their incidents, see Force Science News #114 (1/17/09). You will find online it at: www.forcescience.org/fsnews/114.html]
10. A Camera Can Never Replace A Thorough Investigation.
When officers oppose wearing cameras, civilians sometimes assume they fear “transparency.” But more often, Lewinski believes, they are concerned that camera recordings will be given undue, if not exclusive, weight in judging their actions.
“A camera’s recording should never be regarded solely as the Truth about a controversial incident,” Lewinski declares. “It needs to be weighed and tested against witness testimony, forensics, the involved officer’s statement, and other elements of a fair, thorough, and impartial investigation that takes human factors into consideration.
“This is in no way intended to belittle the merits of body cameras. Early testing has shown that they tend to reduce the frequency of force encounters as well as complaints against officers.
“But a well-known police defense attorney is not far wrong when he calls cameras ‘the best evidence and the worst evidence.’ The limitations of body cams and others need to be fully understood and evaluated to maximize their effectiveness and to assure that they are not regarded as infallible ‘magic bullets’ by people who do not fully grasp the realities of force dynamics.”
Our thanks to Parris Ward, director and litigation graphics consultant with Biodynamics Engineering, Inc., for his help in facilitating this report.
Force Science Institute,
www.forcescience.org.
By Gary Krist
Reviewed by Dennis Bianchi
After many years of trying to find evidence of when and where my Italian grandparents entered the United States, I learned that they came through the port of New Orleans sometime around 1900, a year that falls within the scope of this book. With its tradition of music, unique food and colorful history, New Orleans has been called The Crescent City, sometimes The Big Easy. Reading this book made me realize it hasn’t always been “Easy” or relaxed, but it most certainly has been colorful and violent. As an opening quote from Reverend J. Chandler Gregg states, “It is no easy matter to go to heaven by way of New Orleans.”
The book opens up with the murder of two Italian immigrants. Both had been cut and smashed with a razor and an axe. This murder and its method is a continuing drama throughout much of the book. The combination of Italian immigrants as victims and members of Italian organized crime group as suspects (sometimes referred to as The Black Hand and sometimes as the Mafia), created a culture of fear and hate towards Italian immigrants. The press only fanned the flames with outrageous depictions of the immigrants, freely using derogatory names and descriptions that one would never find in any reputable newspaper today. As the story unfolds other similar murders are committed, and a sub-plot that remains throughout the book has this mysterious individual known as “Axe Man” at its center.
As the 20th Century was about to open New Orleans had found itself in decline. At one time it was the fourth-largest city in the United States, but had dropped to ninth place. As other large American cities like New York, Chicago or St. Louis were beginning to run electrified streetcars and employ modern sanitation facilities, New Orleans’ citizens lacked running water, their streets were dirt-paved and lit with gas lamps. “New Orleans, it was often observed, was the first American metropolis to build an opera house, but the last to build a sewerage system.” The general outlook for making a business comeback was dim. The houses of prostitution were doing well, however, and one person stood out: Tom Anderson, the undisputed boss of New Orleans vice industries. Legitimate business leaders decided it was time for a change and gave license and leeway to the police chief, David Hennessy. David Hennessy was a friend of Mayor Joseph Shakspeare who appointed him to the job, with the intent that Chief Hennessy would root out the scofflaws. The chief would, first, have to clean up the police department, as many officers were involved with the illegal activities through means of graft and strong-arm extortion. Hennessy himself, in spite of his killing “a rival detective on the street, some say was unprovoked,” was considered “a man of unimpeachable honesty and character,” and went about his business with a pious authority, until one night when several men shot him dead. There were no witnesses to the shooting, but the Chief’s bodyguard, who had moments earlier walked away to attend to other matters, ran back to the scene. He claimed later that when he asked who had shot him, the Chief responded, “the Dagos did it,” a derogatory term used for Italian immigrants (a word despised by my father to the day he died). Shortly thereafter, a round-up of suspected gang members of Italian descent was conducted and nineteen men were indicted for the assassination. Following an investigation six of the nineteen were tried and found not guilty, shocking both New Orleans and many people who had been following the events through the national news. A huge lynch mob was formed and the jail’s doors were forced open. Eleven of the nineteen indicted men were murdered; five prisoners were injured and died later. Incredible as it may seem today, a grand jury cleared all of the members of the mob. To this day, no one knows who killed David Hennessy.
Present at Chief Hennessy’s funeral was a man described as one of the Chief’s best friends, Tom Anderson. As the book continues the reader will either see the irony of Mr. Anderson being present, or suspect what the connection between the two represented. It didn’t take long for Tom Anderson to be known as the man most responsible for what was to become New Orleans’ most successful industry: Criminal Vice. He became “the main target of efforts to reform and control the city.” He purchased a restaurant where he welcomed “politicians, police and demimonde friends. At Tom Anderson’s convivial establishment, such men could always find plenty of good food and fine liquor; perhaps most helpfully, they could also find private rooms where deals, payoffs, and rendezvous could be made, far from the prying eyes of strict constructionists of the law.” For the next twenty-five to thirty years he was the single-most influential person in the development of a district of New Orleans called Storyville, an area located behind the Vieux Carre’, downriver of Canal Street. It was an area that the city’s government decided it would turn a blind-eye upon when it came to vice activities. What I would have found of great interest, however, would have been the music that flourished in that district. One could argue that Jazz was born there. Louis Armstrong may be a household name today but he was a mere lad during this period. He listened closely to the music of Buddy Bolden and was mentored by Joe “King” Oliver. The bands were breaking new ground and bringing together the many races of people who inhabited New Orleans and the neighboring areas of the era. The author explains, to some extent, why Storyville met its demise and how many of the musicians found their way to new venues such in Chicago and Los Angeles.
The author uses very colorful language, perhaps a bit too colorful at times, to describe a period of time in New Orleans which brought about some lasting cultural themes: Jazz and the Mafia. It even touches on the rise of Huey Long. If I have a criticism it is that the author keeps revisiting a series of murders committed by either an axe or a very sharp blade, and at the end of the book he attempts to come to a conclusion. The problem, like the lynching and deaths of non-convicted prisoners, is that the crimes are still unsolved. The author has conveyed to the reader a good sense of a most interesting time of a very colorful American city.
By Ama Daetz
ABC Channel 7 News
Forwarded to The Journal
by Maggie Ortelle
Sunday, May 03, 2015
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) —
For decades, women have been working their way up the ranks at police departments across the country, but the numbers are low in the homicide department.
Watching TV, you would think there was a woman homicide detective in every department in America, but just 15 percent of homicide detectives nationwide are female.
San Francisco homicide inspector Holly Pera is one of them. There were just 20 women in the department when she joined the force in 1980. In 1998, she became the first female homicide detective in the department’s 150 year history.
“It was an interesting day, because I just wanted to fit in, just wanted to go in there and do my job, but there was a lot of attention drawn to the fact that I was there,” Pera said.
Now, there are more than 300 women in the city’s police department, but just two work in homicide.
“We had at one point up to six or seven women, many of the women would come and go,” Pera said.
Pera worked with a male partner most of her career.
“There were some people who would just seek him out because he’s the male and I think that they just think that he will get it done,” Pera said.
But she says many people reached out to her because she is a woman.
“There were other people though that would seek me out, for other reasons, they would seek me out if they really needed the emotional support,” Pera said.
One case in particular still haunts her. Evelyn Hernanadez, 24, was eight months pregnant when she disappeared in 2002.
“She had a little boy, as well who was 5-years-old and she had gotten herself involved with a married man,” Pera said.
Hernandez’s torso was discovered floating in the Bay a month later and the 5-year-old has never been found.
“I will never forget that case, yeah, that case it still does trouble me,” Pera said.
Pera retired in 2012, but still works part time on cold cases. One of those cases is of Mei Leung, 9, who was found sexually assaulted, stabbed and strangled in the basement of the Tenderloin residential hotel. She lived there with her family.
DNA evidence uncovered by investigators found her killer.
“I will never forget the day that, that report came back from the state with a hit and the name was Richard Ramirez,” Pera said.
Ramirez was better known as ‘The Night Stalker’ and sentenced to death row for 13 murders. Pera and her partner closed the case.
There are shelves of cases that remain unsolved. Pera hopes more women will consider a career in homicide. Maybe one of those women who watch all those female homicide detectives on TV.
“It is the most fascinating job, but it is also not anywhere near as glamorous as maybe she thinks it is from watching TV. It’s just not, it is very tedious,” Pera said.
Fortunately, there is someone with years of experience to lead the way.
1970-2015
By Gavin McEachern,
TAC/Hondas
The Honda Unit, part of the Special Operations Group, comprised of Tactical Squads 5 and 6, celebrated its 45th anniversary on May 1, 2015.
The unit began in 1970, under then Chief Al Nelder. The unit originally utilized 90cc Honda trail bikes to patrol over the hundreds of parks and beaches throughout the city. From their early years they were instrumental in suppressing a variety of crime in hard to reach areas where patrol cars and foot beats had a difficult time treading. As time went on they were particularly adept at helping with crowd control at demonstrations, assisting at special events and applying a mobile team to address particular problem areas. They often times were able to saturate areas where crime and drug dealing was troublesome and they quickly racked up an impressive success rate of arrests and crime suppression.
The Honda unit was particularly useful during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and during many of the numerous war demonstrations that we saw at the turn of the century.
Made up today of two squads of highly trained riders, they now have to complete an intensive 8 week training course that includes mastering slow speed maneuvering, stairs, trails, beaches, formation riding and crowd control techniques. The Honda unit’s instructors are often times sought out to train other Police Departments in the Bay Area.
Today the unit utilizes the Suzuki Dual Sport 400 and its officers are equipped with the some of the latest safety equipment. You can often see them patrolling the parks and beaches, and spending much of their time in the high crime areas and at many of the demonstrations and special events that the City hosts regularly.
It’s been 45 years and the traditions and duties of the elite unit still carry on to this day.
Scapegoating the Police for Society’s Ills Takes the Heat off Politicians and Bureaucrats
As the anti law enforcement rhetoric continues to flood the media print and airways in this country, and as certain groups and politicians are jumping on this bandwagon to bolster their own status or posture for a possible better political position, some police associations and responsible individuals are saying, “Enough is enough.”
Now in San Francisco, a labor organization (San Francisco Labor Council), a political organization (Democratic County Central Committee), and Gavin Newsom-appointed District Attorney George Gascon – who was also a seat-warming Chief of Police for a few months -- have either introduced ill-conceived anti-law enforcement resolutions, or have organized a task force to investigate alleged “systemic racism in the SFPD.”
As a labor leader I’m saying, “Enough!”
Let me be the first to say that there are problems within the SFPD. Name an organization of over 2200 members that has zero problems. You can’t, simply because they do not exist. If the Public Defender and the District Attorney believe that there is explicit and implicit bias among police officers, then they must also concede that they too have these biases, as do their employees. There are problems within the District Attorney’s Office, as well as in the Public Defender’s Office. The common denominator is that we are all human and prone to make mistakes. The question is can we learn and advance from those mistakes?
When problems have arisen with the SFPD, our Chief has taken swift action. The Chief has demonstrated more transparency, and has been more forthcoming with information than any Chief in the past 30 years. This is not necessarily true with other agencies throughout the country. Perhaps that is why we are seeing resolution after resolution from certain organizations and politicians. They attempt to lump our department in with every agency that are dealing with some extremely controversial issues. They paint all of the SFPD with a broad brush then, try and grab their 15 minutes of fame on the backs of the hard working, dedicated, and committed members of the SFPD.
Recently, I was compelled to respond in writing to the DCCC regarding their Racial Justice Committee resolution (see Page ___). After requests to meet with them to discuss the resolution were denied, I had no recourse but to send a formal opposition letter to every committee member. As of this writing, this resolution has yet to pass at the DCCC. On the other hand, The San Francisco Labor Council was willing to meet with the POA and the Chief to discuss their resolution. A healthy dialog took place where much of the Adachi 9 point plan was refuted, and an amended resolution was put forward with no objection from the POA.
I also felt obligated to send a letter to every assistant district attorney at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office demonstrating the support of the POA for his and her tireless work on behalf of the residents of this great city (see Page ____). They are the attorneys that deal directly with the rank and file of the SFPD, and they are the ones who work countless hours ensuring that the violent and harden criminals, who have victimized the people of San Francisco, are held accountable. The ADAs have proven themselves in court, and they have earned that respect regardless of who their boss might be.
There is, and should be, accountability on all levels of the SFPD. Few American law enforcement agencies have more oversight. The men and women of the SFPD are reviewed by both civilian and government entities. I believe that accountability and responsibility rest not only with the SFPD but with all members of our community. These include faith-based leaders, community activists, elected officials, and yes even those accused of violating the law. Even suspects have the responsibility to follow a lawful order from a peace officer. The venue to challenge that authority lies not on the streets of the City; it lies in court of law.
Having served as POA Treasurer for nine years, Vice President for a year, and as President for over two years, I can unequivocally state that we (SFPD and SFPOA) are committed to the community and have taken a level of responsibility for those who we serve. The personal involvement of our members in concert with the fiscal contributions to worthy non profit organization, in predominately under privileged or low income neighborhoods, clearly demonstrates our hope and aspiration for the youth, the elderly, and minorities in these neighborhoods. Let me name a few: Recently, Officer Jason Johnson of Bayview Station chaperoned a group of African American youth from the Bayview/Hunters Point on a trip to West Africa to learn about their ancestral heritage. Known as Operation Genesis, the program was primarily funded by the Department and the POA. Also, Officer Todd Burkes of Mission Station recently escorted a youth group from the Mission District to Washington DC to learn about American civics. This was also funded by the Department and the POA. The POA is also an annual and major contributor to Operation Dream, SFPAL, The Wilderness Program, Hanna Boys Club, Helpers of the Mentally Retarded, Make a Wish Foundation, Omega Boys Club, SF Youth Fishing Program, and the UCSF Pediatric Ward. All of these groups serve some of the most vulnerable individuals of our community.
I wish that those politicians and organizations who vilify, chastise, and criticize what we do and how we do it would publicly acknowledge what this department and this association has done and continues to do for our community. Get off of your bandwagons and get as involved as we. When it comes to compassion and charity, there can never be enough!
Slainte!
Mark your calendars for the following meetings and events by the POA and its friends and supporters. All dates and times are subject to last minute changes, so always contact the event coordinator to confirm dates and times. If you have an event you would like posted on our calendar, contact the editor at journal@sfpoa.org.
The San Francisco Police Department is looking to hire an additional 4 police academy classes to keep up with attrition thanks to the planning by Police Chief Greg Suhr and the cooperation of Mayor Ed Lee. It’s a great job as long as you go in with the right attitude. It’s all about providing a service to the community coupled with teamwork. And there is always the camaraderie shared by watching out for each other, for example:
It’s May 17, 2015, at 1700 hours in the Bayview District and Officer Kevin Adams and Curran Gong were dispatched to Garlington Court on an assault-in-progress reported by the SFFD. The officers faced nothing but resistance from the combatants when they arrived so they had to call for back-up units to assist. Officers from across the district responded to help.
Meanwhile, while overseeing the subsequent investigation on Garlington Court, Lieutenant Sean Ryan heard multiple gunshots just a block or 2 away. The units on Garlington now made their way over to Oakdale Avenue and located several gunshot victims. This particular incident also involved domestic violence with the suspect firing into the house where his girlfriend, who is expecting their first child, and her mother were hosting a baby shower. This was now a major crime scene resulting in the apprehension of the armed suspect shortly after the incident. It was only 1803 hours in the Bayview.
At approximately 1928 hours a takeover robbery of a gas station on Bayshore Blvd. Bayview officers were acutely aware that a serial robbery suspect had targeted other stations in their district so they responded code 3 in hopes of catching him. They first had to deal with a hysterical victim while maintaining the crime scene. Although the suspect wasn’t caught this time, sufficient diligence was taken to ensure identification of the felon soon.
Then at 2023 hours, while the officers were still processing the gas station robbery scene, gunshots were heard 2 blocks away on the unit block of Flora. The Bayview officers raced to the location but could only find numerous shell casings along with several parked cars covered in bullet holes. Nevertheless, another crime scene was declared in case a victim/suspect was transported to one of the nearby hospitals for treatment.
It’s now 2024 hours and Bayview officers are responding to a call of a man with a knife stabbing patrons of a bar. The suspect was gone when the officers arrived but they found their victim who had been stabbed numerous times and was bleeding profusely. A suspect was named and reports were made for follow-up.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Martin Bandvik was still conducting a follow-up investigation at the gas station where the takeover robbery occurred when he heard a commotion outside. He ran out and saw a woman being violently assaulted by a male suspect. Sergeant Bandvik called for immediate back-up while confronting the out of control suspect. Units arrived shortly and the attacker was placed under arrest while the victim was provided with much needed medical attention. Information derived shortly after found that the woman being beaten was a victim of human trafficking while also being used as a slave to the man assaulting her. It was now 2143 hours.
In a little under 5 hours on May 17th, the true professionalism of the following members of Bayview Station was highlighted. It showed, once again, that no matter how many calls for service or emergencies they handle and, regardless of how dangerous those calls can be, these officers are equal to the task!
After 3 prior felony convictions you might want to change the way you do things. Then again, some people never learn. Take the driver of the vehicle that was pulled over by Officer David Wasserman and Officer Rene Romero for a traffic violation. He said he “forgot” his driver’s license. A records check revealed that it would have been pretty hard to “forget” since he was on 2 current DMV suspensions (how do you manage to do that . . .?) Anyway, one thing led to another and soon the officers discovered narcotics in the vehicle and, when placed under arrest, the officers found a loaded, .22 caliber gun in the driver’s back pocket. And, yes, Officer Wasserman and Officer Romero work in the Bayview.
Newhall and LaSalle Street is located in a neighborhood (Bayview) where the residents and business owners have repeatedly expressed their concerns over the rampant drug dealing in the area. Officer Jeffrey Fortuno, Officer ____ Heppenstall, and Officer ____ Lujano were well aware of their concerns. So when they noticed 2 individuals hiding behind a parked car on the street exchanging something they decided to investigate. One of the 2 ran only a short distance before he was stopped by Officer Lujano for further investigation. That investigation revealed the detained suspect was in possession of a large amount of crack cocaine along with a loaded firearm.
Every time a gun is recovered from the street it means there just might be one less shooting. So when Officer Kevin Adams, Officer Jeff Rosenberg, and Officer Milen Banegas (Bayview Station) stopped a car for a traffic infraction they had no idea just what else might be involved. Nevertheless, after a patient and all-encompassing investigation the officers found the driver of the vehicle was transporting a very large quantity of crack cocaine for sale and her passenger just happened to have a fully-loaded, semi-automatic weapon tucked in his waistband.
Officer Ali Misaghi, Officer Gabriel Alcaraz, Officer David Johnson, and Officer Eduard Ochoa (Bayview Station) should probably receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for being mentioned in this column so many times over the years. Nevertheless, they are back, once again, with an outstanding arrest. The officers were investigating 2 separate shootings that occurred in the Potrero Hill Housing Projects in May. In one of the incidents 2 subjects were shot on Turner Terrace only yards away from a children’s preschool and learning center.
The officers conducted an extremely intensive investigation using the most modern techniques provided by our new electronic age and tracked down an individual who was known to have a weapon and located in the neighborhood in question. Officer Misaghi obtained a search warrant for the subject’s residence and, along with the rest of the team, managed to take the suspect into custody as well as the weapon (.40 caliber, semi-automatic) he was known to carry.
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Last month we asked for assistance in preparing this column by requesting copies of incidents that reflect well upon all of you wearing the SFPD star. Since then the only commendations received were from Bayview Station. We’d like to compliment Captain Raj Vaswani, Acting Captain Valerie Matthews, and, of course, former Captain, now Commander, Rob O’Sullivan for making sure that the members of their command were appropriately honored.
Last time we looked, there were at least 9 other district stations in the City. It’s hard to believe that those districts had nothing to forward to the Close Encounter column highlighting the outstanding work of their members, especially since many of the officers work in some very demanding and dangerous neighborhoods.
Let’s just hope that maybe submissions were made and maybe the information sent to the SFPOA might have gotten lost in transit. That scenario seems like a much more logical explanation - right? So we would definitely appreciate it if the District Stations could please re-send the "missing" copies for inclusion next month.
Stay safe.