2018–05–08 Park Police Station Community Meeting

League of Women Voters of San Francisco Observer Corps Report

Observer name(s): J. Waggoner

Location: Park Police Station

What meeting did you attend (name of the body, whether it was a regular or special meeting, etc)?

Park District, Regularly Scheduled Community Meeting

Did you attend the whole meeting?

Yes.

Tell us about public input: Did it happen? How was it conducted? Did it seem adequate?

The public had an opportunity to comment and ask questions throughout. We were invited to stay after to talk with officers and each other.

Tell us about the government: Who was there? Were they attentive? Were they prepared? Were they courteous with each other and the public?

Captain Una Bailey was called away at the last minute, so Lieutenant Peter Hamilton led the meeting (not quite as well, but adequately). The Department of Elections Outreach Team presented (too quickly; she was asked to reduce her presentation from 30 to 20 minutes) about serving as a poll worker, ranked choice voting, how to register and vote. Another officer was there, but I didn’t catch her name.

Want to tell us anything else (about the process used, the content of the meeting, decisions made, adherence to laws and regulations, etc)?

The crime report was much more rushed and confusing than when Captain Bailey presented last month. I think this was because Captain Bailey was called away unexpectedly. Lt. Hamilton was eager to answer questions and clearly was trying to do his best under the circumstances. Now that I’ve seen several crime reports, it is very helpful when the data is put into context. For example: that a particular time frame was chosen for comparison because of when the Park Station changed their strategy; or because of seasonal variations; or because a particular week was an anomaly compared to the rest of the year. Explanations help me understand police terminology, clarifies which trends the police are focused on and why, creates opportunities for my comment or questions, and reassures me of police transparency, expertise, and accountability.