The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) has released a new report and brief, “Curbing Pretextual Stops: Early Evidence of Harm Reduction in San Francisco,” in partnership with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office (SFPDO). CPE’s analysis found that San Francisco’s pretext-stop policy (San Francisco Police Department General Order 9.07) significantly reduced harmful interactions between police...Read More
AB 1917 requires prosecutors to explain their reasoning to the court when adding back criminal charges that were dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing for insufficient evidence. This narrow but important procedural change will increase fairness and court efficiency by respecting judicial decisions. AB 1917 (Schultz) Respect Judicial Decisions Act was sponsored by S.F....Read More
A man was in the throes of a painful relapse in 2022 when sellers first gave him drugs for free and later said he owed them a debt which he could only repay by holding the bag—a situation is not uncommon. His defense team was able to get him into treatment, and he is now...Read More
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA) found that two SFPD officers used unnecessary force and violated multiple police policies when they violently dragged Matthew Ludwig out of his car, threw him to the ground, and pepper sprayed him on July 4, 2024. Officers had entered the wrong license plate number...Read More
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office has launched a new, paid fellowship position that honors the late Paul Redd, who was freed in 2020, with the office’s help, after 44 years in prison. The Paul Redd Freedom Fellowship position, funded by private donations, is part of the office’s Freedom Project, which helps individuals who are...Read More
A San Francisco judge has dismissed all charges against 33-year-old Kenneth McCurry after finding that two SFPD officers displayed implicit racial bias against McCurry in violation of the state Racial Justice Act. Judge Patrick Thompson found that the way the officers followed McCurry, who is Black, shoved him off his scooter and into a wall...Read More
San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju's statement regarding the California Supreme Court's Kowalczyk decision, which affirmed that it is unconstitutional to keep a person in jail simply because they cannot afford bail.Read More
Joining with public defenders across the country, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju is calling on everyone who supports the Constitutional right to counsel to wear black on Thursday, April 23 to show solidarity with public defenders.Read More
On April 10, a San Francisco jury fully acquitted 38-year-old Pierre Constant of all charges after he spent more than 18 months in jail for an attack in the Tenderloin he did not commit. SFPD officers arrested the wrong person, violated police body-worn camera policies, and mishandled the photo lineup in this case. Prosecutors also...Read More
