"We Treat Members of the Public with Respect and Dignity. We Maintain the Highest Levels of Integrity and Professionalism in all Actions."

(Excerpt from SFPD Mission Statement)

Photo by Thomas Kern

By Luke Thomas

December 11, 2005

SFPD Capt. Rick Bruce claims excerpts from the now infamous SFPD video were spliced from a training video, but what did we really learn?

We learned how some SFPD officers feel about women, transgender persons, homeless persons, and underserved residents in Bayview Hunters Point… how little respect some officers have for their jobs in producing a video making fun of the subjects they're entrusted to serve.

San Francisco stands for respect towards minorities, yet the police department video illustrates a culture lacking respect.

How did this happen? How did a publicly entrusted institution become so cavalier that video participants failed to consider the possibility that their video could tarnish the reputation of an entire police department and come to symbolize a betrayal of the public trust?

It is unfortunate that a few bad apples have the capacity to undermine the honor and integrity of an organization, but oftentimes the bad apples are representative of an overall decline of an organization's ethos.

But like dark clouds, there is a silver lining for San Francisco.

No longer can the POA or the de facto SFPD command and control structure, resistant to the will of its Chief, deny the undeniable need for SFPD reform, nor pay lip service to our communities cry for community policing.

That reform will include new powers for the Chief of Police in removing impediments to community policing progress, revamped sensitivity training, regulations restricting the use of public resources, and guidelines spelling out what conduct is grounds for dishonorable dismissal.

After the world has seen and watched the SFPD video, the world is watching San Francisco once again for leadership.

Let us join forces in support of our SFPD and its reform, to show the world that San Franciscans are back in control of their police department and that we, the citizens of San Francisco, are the stewards of San Francisco's destiny.

####