"I'm sure there's a Shit Someone Says video out there you haven't seen yet, but why not skip it and watch this surprisingly moving It Gets Better video from the SFPD," notes SF Appeal's Eve Batey, who first reported on the video. And she's right. The video, just released today by the San Francisco Police Department, showcases several queer officers telling their stories of growing up as gay youths. It's quite touching. more ›

In the latest New York vs. San Francisco pissing contest, noted New York startup wunderkind David Karp fired the first shot taking our fair city's choice of police patrol vehicles, "the most busted looking police cars." We happen to enjoy the understated, no-nonsense style of SFPD's Crown Victorias (really, there's no greater joy in this city than zipping down Gough Street in a Police Interceptor-turned-Taxi Cab). Thankfully for us, SFist pal (and current San Franciscan living in exile in NYC) Sexpigeon verbalizes our problem with NYPD's "insecure mess of an automobile." Observe: more ›

Do you remember this footage of an OPD officer covering his name tag with black tape (which is a no-no) during the Occupy Oakland general strike? Viemo user BLK PXLS (AKA Terrence Jerod Williams) captured officer John Hargraves masking his name, a common occurrence at occupy rallies around the US so that officers cannot be named or referenced if they participate in police misconduct. Well, both the officer in question and Lt. Clifford Wong, who was in charge of Hargraves' squad that day, are in a mess of trouble for their actions. more ›

Just as soon as it came—on Tuesday, to be exact—last night police evicted residents of the new Occupy Oakland encampment on the 2000 block of Peralta Street near Mandela Parkway. Set up in an empty lot, occupiers claim the space has been vacant for years, which they thought gave them the right to camp there. No so. This prompted the landowner to file a complaint with the city. Oakland police moved in a little after 5 p.m. on Wednesday to clear out protesters. more ›

Down in San Jose on Christmas morning, a mother dropped her young son out of a second-floor apartment window. Why? Well, according to reports, police had been called to her abode that morning after she locked herself in the bathroom with her kids. Police "forced their way into the room and discovered the child had already been thrown," notes AP. "[T]he child's 24-year-old mother saw police come toward her then jumped herself." more ›

Compared to OPD and the city of Oakland's reaction, the San Francisco Police Department's response to cleansing out the encampment at Justin Herman Plaza was a gentlemen's affair. No serious injures were reported, save for the ones that befell several officers. And while some campers complained that SFPD only gave them five minutes to clear out, that wasn't the case, or so says SF Police Chief Greg Shur. more ›

After UC Davis police pepper sprayed students peacefully protesting the Occupy movement on Saturday, University of California President Mark Yudof announced plans to take immediate action against yesterday's aggressive, misguided dust-up. If you recall, some students refused to remove their tents from where they had made their camp on the quad, prompting school officials and police to use pepper spray at point-blank range in an effort to disperse a small group of linked-arm protesters. In response, Yudof plans on convening all 10 chancellors of the UC schools to review their protocols and policies. more ›

Furious over this morning's police raid of the Occupy Oakland encampment, Mayor Jean Quan's top legal advisor quit this morning. Dan Siegel, noted for being a critic of Oakland police, wished that the city had done more with Occupy Oakland squatters before tearing down their tents and cardboard hovels at Frank Ogawa Plaza. more ›

BLK PXLS captured this superb footage of an Oakland policer officer covering up his name tag during Wednesday's chaotic, tear gas-filled Occupy Oakland general strike. more ›

After this morning's temporary disembowelment of Occupy Oakland by the city of Oakland, the group sent out a strongly worded message in which they claim a) "it's not finished" and b) that they will regroup this afternoon to plan their next move. more ›

San Francisco police investigators are searching for Mark Marvin, 39, who was last seen leaving his home near Divisadero and Waller at around 4 p.m. on October 6th. He has not been in contact with anyone since. His vehicle was found at Baker Beach on Sunday. more ›

The manhunt for Shareff Allman, the man suspected of killing three of his colleagues on Wednesday morning at the Lehigh Cement Plant, ended this morning after authorities shot and killed the 45-year-old man. KTVU's Sal Castaneda reports, "KTVU confirms shooting suspect Shareef Allman has been shot and killed by police." more ›

Members of the Santa Rosa SWAT team were at the South Park Day and Night Festival on Saturday. They were there to demonstrate to attendees what they do and, most notably, to show off their big weaponry. Many participants, it seems, were furious over the fact that they allowed children to hold their guns. Some as young as 5. more ›

Speaking of hate crimes, local musician Brontez alleges that he was gay bashed last night while leaving Club Paradiso (2272 Telegraph) in Oakland. Via his Facebook page, he writes: "Got gay bashed last night. Me and my bandmate Adal were leaving the Paradiso in Downtown Oakland when two dudes with (Caribbean?) accents and dreadlocks started calling us 'batty boys' and saying that if we were in Jamaica we'd be dead." more ›

"They can't shoot us all -- fuck the police," reads a banner carried by a smattering of people following yesterday's protest in Dolores Park. The protest was over the unfortunate yet justifiable shooting death of Kenneth Harding, 19, who was killed in Bayview on Saturday after using a firearm against SFPD officers. more ›

Indy Bay posted a link to the below YouTube video of the crowd at the scene (updated link, via SFist commenter snapshotist) immediately after yesterday's fatal shooting of a 19-year-old, allegedly armed fare-evader by SFPD officers in Bayview. This was the second such incident in less than a two weeks. (Warning: There's a pool of blood visible in the footage.) more ›

On Thursday, Marin authorities eradicated an estimated 13,000 baby marijuana plants found on Bolinas Ridge near Kent Lake. Marin Municipal Water District, National Park Service, California Department of Justice and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration all took part in the operation. Lt. Barry Heying explained why to CBS, saying, "These types of criminal enterprises result in erosion damage created by the clear-cutting of indigenous plants as well as hazardous trash left behind by the lawless operators." Well then. [CBS] more ›

The office of San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released a video today showing San Francisco Police Department officers physically attacking an apparent bystander after (allegedly) illegally searching the room of a residential hotel resident on Dec. 30, 2010. Adachi's office claims that this video directly "contradicts officers’ sworn statement on several counts and appears to support the resident’s claim officers stole his property." In the police report, officers detained Fernando Santana, 48, in the Jefferson Hotel lobby at 440 Eddy "after claiming to see crack cocaine in his outstretched hand." However, in the video Santana's hands are inside his pants pockets. more ›

Mayor Ed Lee swore in Greg Suhr, 52, as San Francisco's newest chief of police this morning. A 30-year-veteran of the SPFD, Suhr is known best for dramatically reducing homicide rates in Bayview where he served as captain since 2009. "Suhr’s experience and keen knowledge of The City’s workings finally won over Mayor Ed Lee, who decided that a popular insider was the best choice for The City after a tumultous transition that had elevated a relative newcomer, Jeff Godown, to the interim chief’s post," reports the Chronicle. more ›

District Attorney (and former SFPD Chief) George Gascón announced today that, according to The Chronicle, "The misconduct investigation into a San Francisco police unit of undercover officers will force prosecutors to drop another 42 criminal cases." This morning, as reported on SFist, the tally was at 13. The total number has since jumped to 57. more ›

According to CBS 5, a Walnut Creek police officer was pinched for having sex with an underage girl. "Officer Shawn Wallace was arrested February 3rd and was booked into the Contra Costa County jail in Martinez on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor between the ages of 16 and 18 without force, according to Gene Greenwald, Chief of Inspections with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office." more ›

A woman is in critical condition this morning after being shot by Daly City police in San Francisco on Saturday night. According to reports, police tried to pull over the woman in her car, but she "accelerated and crashed into a nearby home" and then "put the car in reverse, hitting a Daly City police officer." Police then opened fire on the car. more ›

Cover your eyes, insufferable food-truck-Plum-bacon-maple-donut-Comstock-organic-Misson-Pie-cod-sperm-swallowing gastronomes. It turns out that, shockingly, not everyone in San Francisco follows the fresh food philosophy mantra. Namely, new interim SFPD Chief Jeff Godown. more ›

The SFPD released the following video of the man in a wheelchair who was shot by officers at 10th and Howard and streets in SoMa on Tuesday. According to The Chronicle, "A witness used his cell phone to capture the shooting on video, which shows four officers surrounding the suspect in his wheelchair. In the video, one of the officers shoots the suspect using a beanbag gun, and the suspect appears to throw the knife aside. A split second later the suspect is shot in the groin with a handgun." more ›

After a man in a wheelchair had been allegedly "slashing tires on parked cars" with a knife, police shot the suspect after "attempts to control the man with a bean-bag gun failed," reports The Chronicle. The shooting occurred at around 10:15 this morning at 10th and Howard streets "when officers were summoned to the San Francisco Department of Public Health building at 1380 Howard." Police claim that the unhinged man "had been in a wheelchair, but was standing at the time he was shot." more ›

Santa Cruz was on the edge of its seat yesterday during the intense hunt for escaped fugitive Maurice Lamont Ainsworth Jr., who had escaped police custody yesterday while at Dominican Hospital for an MRI. Ainsworth, who is 6 feet 7 inches and weighs 270 pounds, overpowered the one sheriff's deputy who had accompanied him to the hospital, stole her gun, and escaped to a nearby preschool. more ›

Berkeley Police are searching for Omar Sosa, a man suspected of invading a home in North Berkeley and raping a teenaged girl. The hunt is now focused on Southern California, as Sosa is believed to be headed to Mexico. more ›

Accused killer Gary Scott Holland, who plead not guilty Friday to the brutal murder of Kathleen Horan in her Russian Hill apartment, had been calling the Castro Hotel on Vallejo Street home since being paroled and leaving a half-way house on August 20. As the Examiner reports, Holland was a "high-control" parolee, having served 11 years of a 13-year sentence for the attempted murder of a Fresno woman in 1999, but parole officers may not have been performing the sort of surprise checks on his residence that they probably should have been performing. more ›