San Franciso’s police force has the lowest number of sworn officers in two decades and could see more leaving soon, according to an officer in the department.
In a recent interview on EpochTV’s “California Insider,” Sgt. Richard Cibotti, a 14-year veteran with the San Francisco Police Department, cited a recent poll by the San Francisco police union indicating that 54 percent of the officers said they’re planning to leave the department in the near future.
Cibotti said the police exodus is because of current policies in the county’s law enforcement system.
Paperwork Overload
Filing operation paperwork and evidence entries is nothing new to officers’ regular duties, according to Cibotti. However, policing policies are becoming too extensive, he said.Take the Use of Force policy. It grew from roughly six pages in 2008 to 21 pages currently.
“That’s 21 pages of things that an officer has to know all the time at the moment when they’re about to use force. Because if you run afoul of it, you know you’re subject to discipline, maybe even criminal liability,” he said.
Before the change, reportable use of force included methods that caused injuries—such as using batons and firearms. Now the scope extends to any physical action an officer takes when a person resists them, Cibotti said. Simple police reports that officers need to fill out upon an arrest have turned into “large sums of paperwork that were never necessary before.”
But that’s not the half of it.
Upon completing a Use of Force report, an officer can’t go back on patrol until their superior finishes reviewing it and body cam footage and, in some cases, victims’ complaints. This can lead to fewer officers on the streets, Cibotti said.
“We have had incidents where entire watches ... had been relegated back to the station because we have to review force on something that used to not even be reportable at all,” he said.
Cibotti said there are sometimes trust issues between officers and their superiors when an officer is punished for something they “felt they were trained to do.”
“When the cops are unsure, they lose confidence in the way they’re supposed to do things. I think that leads to confusion, which creates a breakdown in morale and internal trust, and people decide to start leaving the department,” he said.
Cibotti said many strict policing policies are created in an emotional response to police misconduct and are written by people who have never done police work.
Endless Circle of Catch and Release
While arresting suspects is done by the police officers, the district attorney’s office handles their punishment. But oftentimes offenders will be released right away, Cibotti said. When these people keep reoffending, arresting them becomes an endless job.“Our limited resources are tied up with the same people over and over,” he said. “Until we start seeing some real results from the prosecution side, we’re going to have a difficult time doing more than just arresting people.”
When asked about whether being a police officer has become a thankless job in San Francisco, Cibotti said that though most city residents want the police to be able to do their jobs, some vocal groups that aren’t very happy with the police are the ones that get the media coverage. He also said many local politicians side with these groups.
“There are no outside voices trying to call timeout and say, ‘Something’s wrong here,’” he said.
Looking at the future of San Francisco, Cibotti said it’s in a dangerous situation, and only a major cultural shift will turn the city around.
“I really hope San Francisco changes. I really hope it turns around to the place I remember growing up and the place I really want it to be,” he said. “But for right now until we have some big political changes and the will to want to change ... unfortunately, I think it’s going to get worse.”
