League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	San Francisco County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Proposition M Community Policing and Foot Patrols County of San Francisco Ordinance - Majority Approval Required Fail: 117608 / 46.59% Yes votes ...... 134808 / 53.41% No votes See Also: Index of all Propositions

Arguments For Proposition M

Arguments Against Proposition M

Police foot beat patrols are a proven crime deterrent. Beat patrols foster community trust. New York City, Chicago, and Boston treat beat patrols and community policing as a proactive public safety strategy. San Francisco does not. The SFPD's General Orders barely mention community policing and they do not require foot patrols. In 2007, the City conducted an 18-month citywide beat patrol pilot program. The SFPD increased foot patrols by 120%--without increasing their budget or reducing response time to emergency calls. The City Controller commissioned an independent study of the foot beat pilot program that determined: 79% of SFPD officers believed that foot patrols were a viable strategy. 82% of San Franciscans said they felt safer as a result of foot patrols. 90% of San Franciscans believed foot patrols were a necessary tool for the SFPD. The study recommended making the foot patrol pilot program permanent by urging the SFPD to implement "clearly defined goals and objectives, performance measures and accountability controls in place for effective management of foot patrols." The SFPD still has not acted on a number of the recommendations in the study. Proposition M empowers both SFPD and the community: Provides the Police Chief full discretion on beat patrol deployment. Requires a community policing policy be developed by the Police Commission, Chief, and the community. Develops officer training for foot patrols. Performs bi-annual reviews of foot patrols and their effect on criminal activity. Vote yes on Proposition M for stronger community and safer streets. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi Board of Supervisors President David Chiu San Francisco Democratic Party Assemblymember Tom Ammiano Supervisor David Campos Supervisor Chris Daly Supervisor Eric Mar Supervisor Sophie Maxwell Police Commissioner Petra de Jesus* For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization. Rebuttal to Arguments For Proposition M is not a serious law - it's a political ploy to OVERRIDE your vote. The authors of Prop M added a POISION PILL to OVERRIDE Yes on L/Civil Sidewalks. If Prop M gets more votes than Prop L/Civil Sidewalks, it will nullify your vote for Prop L. Prop M backers will go to any lengths, including deceiving voters, to defeat Civil Sidewalks. Don't be tricked by city hall politicians: a No vote on Prop M is a Yes vote for Prop L/civil sidewalks. Proposition M language is clear: "By voting for Proposition M, the voter intends that the Foot Beat Patrol Program override Proposition L, which would prohibit sitting or lying on public sidewalks." Let's be more clear: all the work Prop M calls for is ALREADY BEING DONE. 1. Police Chief should have full discretion over foot patrols. DONE! 2. Police Commission, Chief, and community should develop a community policing policy. DONE! 3. Foot Patrol Officer training. DONE! 4. Bi-Annual program reviews. DONE! The Chief is already doing this work. Which brings us back to the real reason for this measure: as a poison pill for Yes on L/Civil Sidewalks. Vote No on M/Poison Pill and Yes on L/Civil Sidewalks to return civility to our sidewalks and to support our public safety professionals - who are keeping violent crime at historic lows and our communities safe. Mayor Gavin Newsom George Gascón, Chief of Police* Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier Supervisor Sean Elsbernd For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.

Don't Let Supervisors Play Politics with Your Safety. VOTE NO on M! There is one reason Proposition M is on the ballot: politics. The Board of Supervisors could legislate a policy on community policing now - it does not need to go on the ballot. Moreover, the Police Chief's community policing strategy already includes foot patrols. Proposition M would throw out your vote The Supervisors voted down a proposed law to make sidewalks open for everyone. Mayor Gavin Newsom put the law on the ballot so you can decide. It's called Proposition L. The secret the politicians don't want you to know is that if both measures pass, and Proposition M gets more votes, your vote on Proposition L is thrown out. Proposition M provides no new law for sidewalk safety, and adds more bureaucracy and new costs. Proposition M proposes a strategy that is ALREADY IN PLACE We have a new Chief of Police who is taking the department in the right direction: crime is at new lows, community engagement is at new highs, and the Chief is using technology to deploy officers where they are most needed. This includes the consistent use of foot patrols throughout the City. In short: everything Proposition M calls for is already being done. Proposition M is a solution in search of a problem Supervisors already have authority to fund foot patrols through the budget process, and the minimum number of police officers already is set in the City's Charter. If Supervisors let the Police Chief do his job, we can have foot patrols now. Join us in supporting public safety, and protecting your vote. Vote No on M! Mayor Gavin Newsom George Gascón, Chief of Police* Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier Supervisor Carmen Chu Supervisor Bevan Dufty Supervisor Sean Elsbernd For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization Rebuttal to Arguments Against San Francisco is not Los Angeles. We are a city of neighborhoods. Community policing, foot beats--on sidewalks and Muni --will work! In New York, Chicago, and Boston community policing is not considered a luxury. In San Francisco, community policing is not institutionalized. District stations see captains come and go, each with their own community strategy. Prop M is simple: It directs the Chief and Police Commission to devise a community policing, foot beat plan, tailored to the 10 police districts. But sometimes simplicity challenges authority. Opponents fail to disclose: Prop M gives the Chief full discretion on deployment. Prop M will not add cost. In the 2007 pilot program, SFPD increased foot patrols 120% without increasing the budget or compromising officer response time. The SFPD budget is $445,480,123. Per capita, one of the highest funded departments in the nation; its officers among the highest paid. In July 2010, the SF Police Officers Association celebrated its 6.5% raise. Opponents disingenuously invite the Board to legislate foot beats, rather than submit this to the voters. However, the Mayor vetoed the 2006 foot beat pilot program. Only a veto override allowed the pilot program to succeed. No more rhetoric on community policing + it's time to walk the talk. Yes on M. Assemblymember Tom Ammiano Supervisors Campos, Chiu, Daly, Mar, Maxwell, Mirkarimi Police Commissioners Petra deJesus* and Angela Chan* San Francisco Democratic Party San Francisco Labor Council Chinese Progressive Association Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council Lower Haight Merchants and Neighborhood Association Harvey Milk Democratic Club For identification purposes only; author is signing as an individual and not on behalf of an organization.