News and Press Releases

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 into their computer, leading them...

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 ready for release from long...

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 without warning, and later described...

Public defender’s office client was accused of assault and robbery, but was actually the victim of theft.

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.