By Tab Buckner, HANC Board
HANC’s June 8th general membership meeting focused on policing in our neighborhood and citywide. The hybrid event hosted Police Commissioner Max Carter-Oberstone in person at Flywheel Coffee Roasters. Melissa Hernandez, Legislative Aide to District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston and Park Station Police Captain Jack Hart joined the panel via zoom.
“Outdated Policies”
Max Carter-Oberstone has been on the Police Commission for one and a half years. He said that he and his colleagues have focused on addressing “very outdated” policies that have been on the books for decades. An example is the collection and redemption of evidence at a crime scene that needs to reflect technological advancements that include DNA use. Another area of reform is phasing out an emphasis on low-level infractions such as traffic stops that extract a large amount of time and money and tend to disproportionately affect People of Color.
Max stated that such rebalancing of priorities allows focus on more serious matters. He mentioned how, in recent years, senior police staff were conducting social media surveillance and amending police plainclothes practices without informing the Police Commission or the general public. Calling this an “outrageous violation”, Max said he and his colleagues recently took action to have the department rescind such policies. The commissioner shared that some friction naturally arises between the Police Commission and the SFPD as reform measures are proposed. He feels that some adversarial tension can be positive to achieve results.
Melissa Hernandez’s work in the District 5 Office encompasses policing and public safety issues. Her work has included opposing the SFPD’s use of killer robots, challenging the mayor’s Tenderloin “Emergency Funding” and addressing the murder of Banko Brown by a Walgreens security guard. While state law allows security guards to carry firearms, the D5 Office has been working to challenge gun use for stolen property as opposed to confronting actual endangerment. Melissa reflected on stable housing, available healthcare and treatment on demand as lessening the risks of self-destructive behavior and entanglement with law enforcement.
Life-Affirming Services
While the SFPD laments a staffing shortage, Melissa emphasized the importance of life-affirming services playing a larger role for individuals struggling to survive. She mentioned how policing unhoused people is expensive and does not solve their plight. Melissa commented that while poor and unhoused people’s run-ins with the law are widely reported, major white-collar crime, such as the Hilton Hotel’s $9 million wage theft, gains little attention. With food bank money facing drastic cuts in the mayor’s proposed budget, Melissa said food security is a public safety matter and a top priority for her office.
Captain Jack Hart said he has been an SFPD member for almost 24 years and is in his second job as a captain. He remarked that his “hallmark” for the last year at Park Station has been his responsiveness and stated that he has replied to every email. Jack said he wants to be thought of as a community advocate, has a weekly newsletter with crime stats and holds monthly community Zoom meetings.
The captain stated that he wants to hold more in-person meetings and will meet with residents “anywhere anytime”. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. There were questions about the lack of regular police beats in the vicinity. The department’s staff shortage and the neighborhood’s wider “terrain” (as opposed to the Tenderloin’s density) were reasons he gave for the absence of consistent foot patrols.
Jack acknowledged that Haight Street has many video cameras and added that they are not used by the police except for following incidents requiring investigation. He said the “downside” of this is “the vibe of the city” opposing surveillance but claimed that 95% of solved cases were due to the use of such videos. When asked to comment on waning crime statistics despite police understaffing, the Captain replied that the SFPD is technologically behind the times and there is “a lot of uncertainty related to the data."