League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
San Francisco County, CA November 3, 2015 Election
	Vicki Hennessy Answers Questions Candidate for Sheriff; City of San Francisco

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of San Francisco and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What do you see as the biggest issue facing San Francisco? As Sheriff, what would you do to handle it?

The Sheriff is an officer of the court whose priority is to keep all people safe. Ensuring the safety of inmates, deputies and San Franciscans is my top priority. I would proactively act to return the Sheriff's Department to the level of professionalism I actively promoted during my career. I would begin by communicating and training to clear expectations of my vision that includes a professional department with well-trained staff that practice humane and compassionate treatment. My priorities also include effective communication with all stakeholders, a balance of criminal and social justice, and proactive leadership by example.

I would seek to increase true accountability and transparency in the Sheriff's Department through a series of efforts including: providing training for all staff in implicit bias, crisis intervention, updates on mental health and substance abuse treatments; implementation of staff career development; establishment of a community stakeholder group to assist in identifying transparency needs, including meaningful website information; an inmate ombudsman program; and, a public annual report on complaints received containing investigative summaries, statistics and dispositions that also includes an early warning system for flagging employee misconduct.

I will continue the Sheriff's Department's history of providing community prevention, in-jail, post-jail and alternative programs. I will actively communicate with criminal and social justice partners who provide programs to ensure meaningful curriculums that are coordinated to minimize duplication while providing a continuum for each participant. The establishment of metrics to measure success within context is also a goal. I would like to increase the reach of the Sheriff's Garden Project to more at-risk youth, support the Five Keys Charter School and enhance the ability of the Women's Resource Center to be more effective.

2. What do you think the relationship should be between the Sheriff?s department and immigration authorities?

I am committed to San Francisco's Sanctuary Ordinances contained in Administrative Code Chapters 12.H. and 12.I. And believe undocumented immigrants should have the same Constitutional protections afforded citizens, as long as public safety is not compromised.

I understand and fully support the findings of the Sanctuary Ordinances in the area of building community trust, keeping families from being separated, and not holding people who would be otherwise released, beyond their scheduled release date via the use of detainers. I also support the idea that Chapter 12.I is written to promote the general welfare and believe that an undocumented immigrant who has been convicted of felonies that are still felonies, should be subject to additional scrutiny under 12.H.2-1 to determine whether the individual poses a public safety risk and if so that ICE be notified.

Finally, I support on-going communication by the Sheriff with all law enforcement, even ICE, even though we may agree to disagree.

3. What are your qualifications for office?

I joined the Sheriff's Department in 1975, a member of the first hiring list that included actively recruited women, communities of color, and LGBT deputies. I rose quickly through the ranks, working in many areas, to become the youngest Captain in California law enforcement, and then Chief Deputy.

Over a 32-year career in the Sheriff's Department, I served in leadership positions in every division -- jails, civil and field services and as a valued leader within the executive team that put San Francisco at the national forefront of progressive and effective law enforcement programs and policies.

Because of my expertise in emergency planning and ability to forge strong relationships with all city departments, I was appointed in 2008 as Director of the Department of Emergency Management, where I directed citywide emergency planning as well as 911 emergency dispatch for police, medical and fire.

In 2012, I was appointed by Mayor Ed Lee to serve as interim Sheriff, while the current Sheriff was on leave.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 13, 2015 21:40
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