SAN FRANCISCO—On Thursday, June 18, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) announced the release of the first episode of its first-ever podcast, which aims to provide a forum to discuss the department’s policies, projects, personnel, and future goals.
This first episode, titled “San Francisco Police Department and Collaborative Reform” was recorded on March 6.
The episode is moderated by David Stevenson, SFPD’s Director of Strategic Communications, who spoke with SFPD Police Chief William Scott. The two discuss the Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI), which SFPD has been engaged with since October 2016. CRI began after the U.S. Justice Department issued an assessment report that provided 272 recommended improvements for SFPD.
The recommendations covered SFPD’s use of force, anti-bias policies, interactions with the public, systems of accountability, and practices related to hiring and personnel.
Scott noted that the CRI report did pick up on the strengths of SFPD, but CRI suggestions involve the implementation of a more solid department-wide infrastructure for policing practices.
Scott pointed out a new use of force policy, initiated as a result of CRI. According to Scott, since its implementation in December 2016, there has been a 56 percent decrease in the use of force and a 66 percent reduction in the pointing of firearms.
The SFPD continues to take steps to fulfill the improvement recommendations of CRI. Since June 2, the police department achieved 61 of the 272 suggestions.
During the interview, Scott said, “The policing profession is a national discussion and the improvement of the policing profession is a national discussion.”
“We’re after earning and maintaining the community’s trust,” Scott added.
