From:
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 12:26 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Police Advisory and Accountability Committee Annual Report 2024 (Agenda Item 6a) Dear Madam City Clerk Lara,
Could you please transmit to members of the Counil and provide copies to the public who ome to tonight’s City Council meeting. Thanks, Steve Members of the City Council:
I write to provide some context and background to the PAAC’s annual report. I was a member of the community group that met with SRPD staff to develop the PAAC ordinance.
The report contains many ‘recommendations’, presumably approved by the PAAC. In fact, city staff did not allow the PAAC to vote on anything except procedural matters. Therefore, there were no formal votes on any of the recommendations listed. The report does note under “Committee feedback” the views of individual PAAC members. But the structure of the report’s recommendations is disingenuous and misleading. See for example:
Committee members invested significant time and effort into developing a comprehensive set of proposals for the City Council. These proposals were shaped by a diverse range of opinions and viewpoints The City would benefit from a Drone (UAV) program. • Status: The recommendation regarding a UAV program is under consideration. Use of Force - Reinstate the Police K9 program. • Status: SRPD has implemented this recommendation.
Technology and Policing (ALPR and UAV)– Supportive of UAVs and creating a UAV usage policy and ALPR program expansion. • Status: This recommendation is under consideration.
Furthermore, under the police in schools issue, there isn’t a word about the opposition by sme members of the PAAC to the idea, only noting positive comments.
I urge the Council to make it clear in an addendum to the Ordinance that the PAAC is entitled to take formal votes on substantive issues which come before it.
Thanks for your consideration of this request.
Best regards,
Stephe Bingham
Stephen Bingham
Co-Director
Sylvia Bingham Fund
www.sylviabinghamfund.org
Coordinator, California Ride of Silence Organizers
Board of Directors, Ride of Silence
Member, Families for Safe Streets/San Francisco
Truck Underride Advocacy TEAM