Today, the Public Defender’s Office filed a complaint with the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability asserting that two SFPD officers violated numerous police department policies when they racially profiled, used excessive force, and carried out illegal detention and arrests at a private home in August 2025. More specifically, the officers treated a Black man...Read More

Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command. On Oct. 29, a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against Luis Leal, 29, who was arrested on June 8 in front of...Read More

Police union’s suit challenges new policy that limits pretext stops FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 5, 2025PRESS CONTACT: Public Relations Officer Jessie Seyfer | pdr-mediarelations@sfgov.org | (628) 271-9800 SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office has filed an amicus brief joining the City of San Francisco as it fights a lawsuit brought by the SF Police Officers Association regarding...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: April 12, 2024 CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS STATEMENT** Despite SFPD’s Touted Reforms, Racial Bias and Excessive Force Persist SAN FRANCISCO — Today at City Hall, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) held a ceremony to mark the completion of the final of 272 reforms collectively known as the Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI). These...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 7, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | Jessie Seyfer |  PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | (415) 851-2212 **PRESS RELEASE** Traffic Safety, Civil Rights Groups Urge SF Police Commission to Override Police Union’s Stalling and Enact Policy Limiting Racially-Biased Pretext Stops   SAN FRANCISCO – The Coalition to End Biased Stops, a coalition of more than 110 civil rights, traffic...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 27, 2023MEDIA CONTACT: PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | Public Relations Officer Jessie.Seyfer@sfgov.org | (415) 851-2212  **PRESS STATEMENT** SF Public Defender Responds to Newsom Opioid Task Force Announcement Leaders ignore evidence in favor of failed War on Drugs tactics SAN FRANCISCO — Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom, SF Mayor London Breed, SF District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and SFPD Chief Bill Scott...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2023 Media Contact: PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS STATEMENT** SF Public Defender Mano Raju Condemns SFPD Tactics Detaining Youth at Dolores Street Skateboarding Event The militarized police response to a youth-led skateboarding event was a tremendous overreach that escalated tensions, endangered young people and onlookers, and violated people’s rights. Showing up in riot...Read More

On Monday, June 26, prosecutors began dismissing felony drug cases, but public defenders did not see it coming. Prosecutors were not disclosing the reason, but it seemed to have something to do with veteran SFPD officer Christina Hayes, who has been the arresting officer, executor of warrants, and testifying witness in countless drug cases. Prosecutors...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 15, 2022 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS STATEMENT** SF Public Defender Says Police Escalated a Biased Stop to Shootout on City Street SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the San Francisco Police Department held a virtual town hall about an incident in which four police officers fired shots at Jose...Read More