ShotSpotter Helps Make Arrests, Recover Firearms, at Western Addition Shooting

While the below update is a few weeks old, I’d like to share it with you, as it illustrates the effectiveness of the ShotSpotter system. ShotSpotter near instantaneously alerts officers on incidents of gunfire, allowing them to arrive minutes faster than by way of citizen reporting (assuming that there is a corresponding 911 call). Because the system dramatically improves response time, it often allows officers, as in the below case, to make critical arrests and recover dangerous weapons. My office, as directed by the Mayor, and in cooperation with the Police Department and Board of Supervisors, has rolled out ShotSpotter in select sections of the Bayview, Western Addition and Mission. We continue to monitor the succesess of this program, with the hopes of expanding coverage to other parts of the city. Of note, ShotSpotter is part of a larger Technology-Informed Policing (TIP) iniative by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. Critical to the success of this program to-date, has been the hard work and leadership of Lt. Mikail Ali, who serves as Senior Public Safety Advisor to both Mayor Newsom and my office.

1/08/09, 1:25PM - Police officers detained three suspects in a gang-related shooting at Golden Gate and Fillmore. The shooting occurred following a funeral service for a recent homicide victim. The suspects fired into the procession of mourners as they were leaving the funeral home. The suspects were San Francisco residents, male, ages 21, 21 and 20. The gunfire was immediately detected by the ShotSpotter system and nearby plainclothes units, comprised of members of both Northern Station and Gang Task Force, quickly apprehended the suspects. No one was struck by the gunfire. Police recovered a Tech 9 assault weapon.

KVR

New Supervisor Committee Assignments

Board of Supervisors Committee assignments were released today and I’d like to congratulate Supervisor David Campos on his new chairmanship of the Public Safety Committee. I look forward to working with him. I'd also like to thank Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who previously served as Chair, for his leadership, and to congratulate him on his new chairmanship of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee. Supervisor Mirkarimi will as well be remaining on the Public Safety Committee as Vice-Chair and I look forward to continuing to work with him.

Also departing the Public Safety Committee are Supervisors Bevan Dufty (now Chair of City Operation and Neighborhood Services) and Sophie Maxwell (now Chair of Land Use and Economic Development). We've had both informative conversations and spirited debates – with the occasional painful inquisition mixed in there! I wish them well in their new assignments and welcome aboard Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier.

Over the last year, I’ve worked with the Supervisors to ensure that the Committee – and hence, also the public – received the most up-to-date and comprehensive crime statistics possible. At the core of this effort, has been the hard work of the officers of the SFPD. In particular, I’d like to thank Captain John Goldberg (formerly Captain of the Homicide Division of the Investigations Bureau and now a Captain at Tactical), as well as the SFPD’s Crime Analysis Unit and Planning Division.

This has been a true team effort and I’m very proud of it. The Committee is in as strong and informed a position as ever. I look forward to building on these successes and encourage all to either attend its hearings (schedule available here) or watch its proceedings on SFGTV.