Foot Patrols Legislation

Folks who attended our August 21st community meeting probably recall hearing some discussion about creating more foot patrols in the Western Addition, North Panhandle, and Upper Haight. This is the focus of legislation brought by Supervisor Mirkarimi which will come for a vote by the SF Board of Supervisors on September 19th. The latest Bay Guardian has a good editorial about the idea -

The idea of beat cops and community policing isn't new at all; in fact, it's the modern approach of highly mobile officers in cars, dispatched by a central computer and radio system in response to emergency calls, that's a relatively recent trend....

But cops walking the beat are a proven deterrent to crime — and that's not merely because of their visible presence. Properly trained and motivated community police officers can forge ties with merchants, residents, and neighborhood leaders. They can figure out where problems are likely to happen. They can become an asset to the community — not an outside occupying force that residents neither trust nor respect.

SFBG editorial

Map of Foot Patrols

Text of Legislation (PDF)