On September 8, 2021, the SFPD tried to rush a vote by the Police Commission to accept updated policies around warrants that were designed — as 48 Hills noted and our Integrity Unit argued — with little public input and without consulting our department nor the District Attorney’s Office. One of the more egregious parts of the proposed policies would continue to permit highly controversial no-knock warrants. The vote was ultimately delayed, which gave our Integrity Unit time to respond and prepare for the next meeting, where — as Mission Local reported — the Commission put off the vote again.
“We have had it for less than three full business days,” [DANIELLE] Harris [MANAGING ATTORNEY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC DEFENDER INTEGRITY UNIT] said at the commission meeting last week. “It is dense and an additional week or two is not a lot to ask.” She added that it didn’t seem like fair notice to the public for changes to be made and voted on in the same sitting.
From 9/16/21 Mission Local article by Eleni Balakrishnan
Then Deputy Public Defender Brian Cox came on the line to raise the issue of what are known as no-knock warrants—searches where the cops break into a home or business with no notice. “The SFPD still seeks to engage in military-like tactics,” [deputy public defender brian cox] said. “Many jurisdiction have banned the no-knock warrant. It has no place in 2021.”
From 9/13/21 48 Hills article by Tim Redmond
