Civil Grand Jury Wants More Attention From City Leaders

By Melissa McRobbie

June 26, 2008

San Francisco’s civil grand jury has released a report claiming city leaders don’t pay enough attention to its reports and recommendations.

The report, posted on the grand jury’s Web site Tuesday, is based on a review of several San Francisco 2006-07 civil grand jury reports and what has changed in their wake.

It is titled “Fits and Starts: The Response of San Francisco Government to Past Civil Grand Jury Reports.”

Among other claims, grand jurors say the mayor and Board of Supervisors haven’t sufficiently followed the grand jury’s advice to increase civilian staffing in the Police Department, which jurors say would reduce overtime costs and put more officers on the street.

“You’ve got police here working behind a desk where you can have a civilian doing it,” said grand juror Nicholas Gaffney.

The grand jury also said the city has responded inadequately to its reports calling for more communication and better leadership on the Entertainment Commission, and improvements to the Office of Risk Management.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s office refuted specific complaints in Tuesday’s civil grand jury report but did not comment on the report overall.

The mayor’s office stated, for example, that there are currently 116 civilian employees in the Police Department, and pointed out that the process for hiring civilians is time-consuming and involves a background check.

Despite its criticisms, the civil grand jury praised the city for its efforts to bolster disaster preparedness following a July 2007 grand jury report on the topic.

“The mayor, through his directive, has emphasized this important matter – keeping it front and center,” jurors wrote in the report.

Tuesday’s review by the grand jury was standard, Gaffney said.

“Most grand juries, as a way of doing business, go and review what former grand juries have done,” Gaffney said.

FCJ Editor

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