Today, the SF Public Defender’s Office released police body-worn camera footage showing SFPD officers brutally beating and kneeling on the head and neck of 33-year-old Kevon Gibson, who was hospitalized for several days after the incident in August 2025. The Public Defender’s Office also revealed how the District Attorney’s Office charged Gibson with crimes he...Read More

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

Body-worn camera footage shows officers shoved, knocked to the ground, and ridiculed a woman who was on her way to work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 18, 2024PRESS CONTACT: Public Relations Officer Jessie Seyfer  |  pdr-mediarelations@sfgov.org  |  (628) 271-9800 SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco police in riot gear repeatedly shoved a woman, violently tackled her to...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 12, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** S.F. Public Defender’s MAGIC Programs Celebrate 20 Years of Service to Youth & Families in the Bayview and Fillmore Districts SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office gathered with community partners to celebrate 20 years of...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 1, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org  **PRESS RELEASE** SF Public Defenders Condemn Latest Courthouse Arrest of 9-Months-Pregnant Woman SF District Attorney & SFPD continue to collude with Feds to target immigrant mothers, circumvent due process, and violate Sanctuary Ordinance SAN FRANCISCO — On Oct. 24, SFPD officers carried out a surprise arrest...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 31, 2024MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | Public Relations Officer Jessie Seyfer | (628) 271-9800 **PRESS RELEASE** Jury Acquits Legally Blind Man for Second Time in Two YearsCharles Underwood, who is unhoused, was arrested after a man kicked the boxes he was sleeping in SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in two years, a San Francisco...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2024 MEDIA CONTACTS:  Jessie Seyfer | SF Public Defender’s Office | PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | (628) 271-9800 Will Matthews | Californians for Safety and Justice | will@safeandjust.org **PRESS RELEASE** San Francisco Public Defender’s Office Celebrates 25 Years of its Clean Slate Expungement Program State laws recently expanded eligibility for cleaning up criminal...Read More