SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The California Department of Justice announced Tuesday it is stepping away from its monitoring role over the San Francisco Police Department because the department has achieved 97% of its recommended reform goals.
In its 124-page report, the state justice department praised SFPD, writing that the department’s use of force was down, that police shootings had declined and that the department had complied with policies to reduce racial biases in policing.
“This report marks an important milestone in SFPD’s yearslong effort to increase public trust by improving its policing practices, transparency, and accountability,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement. “I credit SFPD for its commitment to significant structural and cultural reform, and for its initiative in seeking continued oversight from our office. I also acknowledge the contributions of San Francisco residents to SFPD’s efforts in reform and their ongoing work to hold SFPD accountable. As we close this chapter, I am optimistic that SFPD will build on these reforms to continue to reduce racial disparities in stops, searches, and the use of force by SFPD officers.”
Overall, the department had achieved its goal on 263 of 272 recommended reforms, according to California Justice Department officials, earning a grade of “overall substantial compliance.”
Specifically, the report noted that the yearly average of shootings is down nearly 50% when compared to the number of shootings in 2018, the year SFPD signed its memorandum of understanding with the California Justice Department.
Analysis of use-of-force incidents did continue to show racial disparities, but the rate that force is used against Black individuals has significantly declined more than the rate of force involving all other races.
Even though the California Justice Department has stepped back, it did so while acknowledging that SFPD reported flawed data to the state concerning officers stopping people on the streets and in cars in 2023.
An audit released in December found that 6,000 of 19,000 SFPD stops from 2023 contained substantial data errors. That data is used to identify potential racial biases and disparities in police conduct.
The audit found that the errors occurred because SFPD switched to a new data collection system in 2023.
California Justice Department officials wrote that they noticed the issue as its report was being finalized.
“Such transitions are not without challenges. The department has stated the data has been updated and is correct. SFPD should continue to prioritize and ensure focus on accuracy of data,” they say in the report.
The California Justice Department’s final report comes as San Francisco recorded its fewest homicides in over 60 years. San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott said in a Dec. 10 press conference that non-fatal shootings were also down 31% in 2024 compared to 2023, and outgoing Mayor London Breed released figures on Tuesday that showed overall crime is at its lowest point since 2001.
Breed’s numbers showed that property crime was down 31% from 2023 and 46% from 2017, and that all violent crime saw a 14% drop in 2024 versus 2023 and was down 26% overall since 2017.
“I’m grateful for the hard work by our law enforcement partners and everyone in the community working tirelessly to make our neighborhoods safer,” Breed said. “This shows that when we give our officers the tools and support, like we have with new technology, they can deliver incredible results.”
The California Justice Department began monitoring SFPD in 2018. The police department had already started reform initiatives in 2016 after numerous controversial police shootings, including the killing of Mario Woods and the fatal shooting of Jessica Williams, which caused former San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr to resign from his position.
San Francisco officials asked then-President Barack Obama’s Justice Department to assess how the department could improve, resulting in the 272 recommended reforms focusing on reducing use of force, greater public transparency, racial equity and data collection.
It is unclear if the report will help Scott retain his job. On Wednesday, Scott will begin reporting to San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, who defeated incumbent Mayor London Breed in November’s election.