Ensuring Public Safety

By Rob Black

Every San Franciscan has the right to feel safe on the streets of our City. District 6 has two and a half times the crime rate of any other Supervisorial District. It's time to say "enough"

Increased Police Presence

District 6 has a disproportionate amount of crime, and we must work to elevate our numbers of beat cops. An increased police presence, consisting of both patrol and foot officers, is a necessary first step in preventing crime in our district.

Increased Community Policing

Effective community involvement by officers has been shown to have positive impacts on reducing neighborhood crime, helping to reduce fear of crime and enhancing the quality of life in the community. We need to have more cops walking the beat, and more police and other first-responders (paramedics, firefighters) living in our communities, and must work to implement a First-Responder housing program.

Improving SFPD's Information Technology

One of the most important and powerful ways that the City can enhance public safety is by adopting cutting-edge technology. We pride ourselves on being a cutting-edge City; unfortunately our police officers are still operating in the technological dark ages. It is incredible to note that some members of our police force do not even have email. This needs to be remedied. Many crime fighting advances have been successfully implemented in other major metropolitan cities. We must learn from these success stories and use available technologies to equip our officers with the tools and know-how to fight crime in the 21st century.

Security Cameras

San Francisco has recently begun to install security cameras in notoriously high crime areas around the City, and many residents of District 6 have expressed their desire for such cameras. When a community asks the City for help in making their neighborhood safer, we must respond. Through meetings with neighborhood stakeholders, Police and City officials, the community should determine if and where cameras should be placed in the District.

Guarding the public safety is the most basic responsibility of any government. I am honored to have received the endorsement of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, and hope to work closely with them, the Police Department, the District Attorney's Office and Mayor Newsom to tackle District 6's crime problems head-on.