The embattled San Francisco Police Department though right now less embattled than the Oakland Police Department is being helmed by former Deputy Chief Toney Chaplin, and ABC 7's Vic Lee sat down with him this week to reflect on his first 60 days in the job and what's been accomplished so far.
Bits of the resulting interview can be heard above, but the main points:
- Chaplin says he's continuing to implement use-of-force reforms focusing on time, distance, and de-escalation.
- He points to three incidents in the last two months, including a crazy standoff in Chinatown that resulted in six officers getting injured in early June, this high-profile, four-hour standoff in the Mid-Market area three weeks ago, in which de-escalation and non-lethal force was used to diffuse and end situations involving armed individuals.
- He seems to accept that state's Attorney General Kamala Harris may become involved in the investigations of officer-involved shootings, and he says, "One of the complaints I consistently hear in the community is they don't want us investigating ourselves."
- And he says he's been too busy and hasn't had time to consider whether he wants the permanent job as chief, for which a national search is getting underway.
And, to be fair, 60 days isn't a lot of time. But it's true, the SFPD hasn't killed anyone in that time, and Chaplin says, "We've been talking about how these things are going to help us out. But now you have actual fact-based situations to show that these things are working."
Previously: Firm That Recruited Ousted Oakland Police Chief Charging SF $49K To Find New SFPD Chief