1. Please state your background and qualifications for Sheriff and why you are running for this position.
As Supervisor, I inherited the second highest murder, criminal violence rated area in the city. Through community-driven strategies, we've reclaimed neighborhoods (Divisadero, Western Addition, Hayes Valley, Lower Haight) from chronic crime while tackling the roots that induce it. Due to my insistence for accountable community policing and rehabilitative programs in and near public housing, my District has experienced the biggest drop in violent crime citywide.
Between 2005 and 2007, I vigorously pushed the city to support restorative justice strategies that realize that what happens inside our local jail system directly impacts public safety throughout San Francisco, especially in neighborhoods that are host to the highest percentage of parolees and probationers. Recidivism is at 65%. I successfully secured San Francisco's first $1 million grant from the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to develop a pilot program called NoVA - a landmark program addressing violent felons. I also authored the creation of the City's first Reentry Council - obligating all local government, nonprofit and ex-offender stakeholders to formally address Reentry needs.
Much of my career has been spent in some sort of public safety occupation--from law enforcement to environmental work. As an investigator in the SF District Attorney's Office, my early law enforcement work focused on prosecution--get the bad guys, lock them up. As Supervisor, I inherited a district of high crime and low expectations. I worked with community groups and City government to reclaim neighborhoods from serious crime, and tackle its roots.
I've worked at the entrance to criminal justice system and at the exit. Now I want to work in the middle to address the revolving door of recidivism - we're simply throwing away taxpayer dollars and front-loading the police budgets by re-arresting the same ex-offenders nearly 3 out of 4 times. This is not efficient or effective public safety.
Being Sheriff doesn't mean who can "out-cop" whom; Mike Hennessey was never a cop or a peace officer but he is probably one of the most innovative sheriff's in the nation. I'm the only candidate that can draw from a number of disciplines that focus on exactly what the Sheriff needs to do: make and implement policy, secure resources for the department and render inter-personnel discipline.
2. Would you support merging the Sheriff and Police Departments? Please describe any benefits or flaws that you see in the plan, and any corrective solutions that you might make.
I do not support merging the Sheriff and Police Departments, but I do believe there are ways the Sheriff's Department can aid the SFPD and save the city money through MOUS on shared duties. Without depleting staffing resources, the Sheriff's Department can aid the SFPD through a MOUS in shared relief duties, since the delta in what a sheriff makes compared to a police officer is almost 23 percent. Pilot MOU's between the SFSD and SFPD need to be implemented on several fronts: transfer of prisoners from district police stations to jail; guarding prisoners while at SF General Hospital or at the SF Courts; assist with special events patrol and crowd management. Freeing up police officers from tasks that sheriffs can perform will save money and help SFPD focus on more critical objectives. Mindful that programs-treatment cost substantially less than incarceration, better risk assessment and greater diversion will help us save money and reduce recidivism.
3. What is your opinion of the Sheriff's Department current staffing levels? Are departmental payroll and overtime practices economically prudent? Do you have any practical solutions for reducing staffing expenses and the work burden on departmental employees?
As Sheriff I will increase staffing levels either by hiring more staff or by using the overtime method. My recommendation is to avoid expensive overtime by utilizing unfilled requisitions, especially in light of the impending state prisoner realignment plan. I also believe that the Sheriff's Department can help generate money for the city in places it hasn't before. An example of a revenue generating idea is to charge other jurisdictions to house inmates in our jails, as they charge us when we house our prisoners in their jails.
4. Do you feel that excessive force has been used by sheriff's deputies in recent years?
Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon for peace officers like deputy sheriffs to use force. There is currently no civilian oversight of the Sheriff's Department in San Francisco. This is why it is so important to have a Sheriff that is independent of law enforcement's expectation, or insistence, that peace officers not be held accountable. I am the independent candidate for Sheriff-the only candidate with the independence to administer discipline over personnel.
5. Under what circumstances do you advocate the use of strip searches? �What steps would you implement to ensure the civil liberties of those subjected to this procedure?
There is a protocol that must be followed to ensure that civil liberties are not violated. If there is a violation, I would obligate the department to respect that protocol and the inmates' civil liberties. Besides exigent/emergency reasons, there is little reason to violate civil liberties.
6. What funding sources would you explore in order to re-institute or fully fund rehabilitation and recovery programs that might have been cut under recent budgetary constraints?
I have a strong track record of successfully obtaining grant funding. Between 2005 and 2007, I vigorously pushed the city to support restorative justice strategies that realize that what happens inside our local jail system directly impacts public safety throughout San Francisco, especially in neighborhoods that are host to the highest percentage of parolees and probationers. I successfully secured San Francisco's first $1 million grant from the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to develop a pilot program called NoVA - a landmark program addressing violent felons. I also authored the creation of the City's first Reentry Council - obligating all local government, nonprofit and ex-offender stakeholders to formally address Reentry needs.
7. What is your position on the outsourcing of medical care of inmates?
Not only am I opposed, but on the Board of Supervisors I led the charge against contracting out health and mental health services in county jails.
We need a specialized strategy that deals with inmates' specific mental health needs. Just like I secured a one million dollar grant to pilot the NoVA alliance program (tailored towards violent felons), I will seek additional resources for those suffering from mental health issues. In order to do so we will have to work more closely with the public health and psychiatric community. We will also have to collaborate with outside providers so that there is a more effective monitoring of the probationary process. To that end as Sheriff I will do the following:
Make certain that inmates with mental health issues are not housed at the Hall of Justice; need to be housed at San Bruno and CJ 2.
Expand Jail Psych Services Currently psych services are offered 8 to 10 hours per day. There currently is no 24 hour coverage. Especially in light of the state's relinquishing of their responsibility to local government, SF needs to prepare and treat those escalating numbers of inmates who suffer from mental health issue.
Upgrade the Jail Pysch Services Budget: This insufficient budget is under the Department of Public Health. Considering the inmate suicide rate and chronic need for specialized attention, all evidence points to the need for a more modernized budget, which I will pursue.
8. What is your position on cooperating with ICE, especially the S-COMM program recently declared mandatory by President Obama's DHS?
Sheriff Hennessey demonstrated courage in calling attention to the reckless practices by ICE and federal authorities. It's been well documented that in the name of Secure Communities, victims, witnesses, family members of both victim and defendant have also been deported or detained.
On the Board of Supervisors, I authored resolutions in support of San Francisco's right to opt-out of Secure Communities. Although complicated and not popular as an issue nationwide, I will follow Sheriff Hennessey's example by dissenting against ICE and call attention to the dysfunctional and harmful practices by ICE and the Fed's immigration policies.
Over a year later, many local elected officials throughout the country along with state governors from New York, Minnesota, Illinois and Massachusetts, have joined a growing chorus in the need to exercise discretion of opting out of S-Comm. The Trust Act in the California State Legislature is also focused on allowing state and municipal discretion in managing ICE protocol. I support the current policy developed by Sheriff Hennessey that alleviates liability on San Francisco if ICE invokes its authority, and yet, calls for "due process" for those picked up on low level offenses.
Due process protections must be retained and practiced. There are too many examples of preliminary charges being dropped or case circumstances changed, still causing deportation for the "defendant" or for witnesses or victims. Federal government supersedes local government and this reality reinforces ICE and Federal authorities' leverage no matter what local jurisdictions desire. The recognition that this nation needs to seriously reform its immigration laws, calling for a practice of "due process," is a practical step amid very complicated times.
As Sheriff, I will continue to build on this position and use the Sheriff's pulpit in the criminal justice system in California and in the nation to retain due process protections.
9. Do you believe that retrieving resalable recyclables from blue bins left on the curb should be cause for arrest?
No
10. What is your position on "sit/lie?"
I'm opposed the current version because I think that we have a substantial amount of laws on the books that go unenforced. I worked very hard to activate and legislate an accountable form of foot beats and bike beats in corridors like the Haight, Polk, Mission and other challenged areas. Inconsistent beat patrols and enforcement actions are not an effective deterrence to crime and quality of life offenses. With increased populations of homelessness and loitering, the question is begged for those who defy the civil sidewalks law, do we criminalize this population or defer them through mandatory services - if it's the former, that's a high cost for incarceration; if it's the later, then the services must be in place -- at which they are not in San Francisco. Absent of these details made the ballot law quite thin.
11. What do you think of "care not cash?"
I do not support "care not cash", however, there should be a compassionate care not cash system that compliments the continuing service of care system for the homeless.
12. Would you forbid deputies from participating in foreclosure evictions by homeowners being evicted by a bank?
I will work to increase the Eviction Assistance Unit so that while the Sheriff's Department is obligated to the carry out the law, it can enlist services to help those being evicted or in need to be relocated to safe housing, even if temporary. The increase of family evictions cannot be ignored. In light of increased evictions and foreclosures in this area, this is one service that needs to be bolstered. This is even more important because there are very few remedies to help people who are dislocated or evicted.
13. Please provide us with a list of your current endorsers.
For a full list, please see my website: www.RossForSheriff.org
Sheriff Mike Hennessey
Assemblymember Fiona Ma
Assemblymember Tom Ammiano
State Senator Mark Leno
Supervisor Jane Kim
Community Leader, Alice Bulos
Theresa Sparks - Executive Director - SF Human Rights Commission
Gail Gilman, Executive Director of the Community Housing Partnership
School Board Member Emily Murase
School Board Member Sandra Lee Fewer
School Board Member Kim-Shree Maufas
Police Commissioner Angela Chan
DCCC Member Jane Morrison
DCCC Member Hene Kelly
DCCC Member Alix Rosenthal
DCCC Melanie Nutter
Former Supervisor/Assessor Doris Ward
Former Supervisor Willie Kennedy
Former Supervisor Sophie Maxwell
Former Supervisor Carol Ruth Silver
Former Supervisor Harry Britt
Entertainment Commissioner Glendon "Anna Conda" Hyde"
Jim Reilly, Esq. President, City Democratic Club
Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting
Former Mayor Art Agnos
Supervisor David Campos
Supervisor John Avalos
Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco
Ethics Commissioner Paul Melbostad
Reverend Dr. Amos Brown
San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798
UniteHere! Local 2
California Nurses Association
United Educators of San Francisco
SEIU 1021
LiUNA Local 261
SF Arts Democratic Club
Bernal Heights Democratic Club
District 11 Democratic Club
Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club
City and County of San Francisco Black Employees Association
Richmond District Democratic Club,
District 3 Democratic Club
SFWPC
SF Democratic Party
14. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
My top three priorities as Sheriff are:
a) Improve Public Safety in San Francisco: Throughout SF, our neighborhood safety is entwined with the repeat offender rate which hovers at 64 percent for those exiting from the county jails. California cities like SF are front-loading general fund police budgets at ballooning costs to only see SFPD arrest the same felon, over and over again. We need better assessment of each inmate for accountable rehabilitation/diversion programs or incarceration.
b) Make Public Safety Realignment Work: SF needs to step up its approach to effective rehabilitation and reentry. While we are able to absorb between 400 to 600 additional inmates being returned from the state, approximately half will go into jail and the remainder into diversion. Effective diversion will be key so that both the Sheriff's and Adult Probation Departments will be funded sufficiently. As Sheriff I will advocate relentlessly for adequate funds, as promised by the state.
c) Save the City Money - Help SFPD: Without depleting staffing resources, the Sheriff's department can assist the SFPD through a memorandum of understanding in shared relief duties. Pilot MOU's can be implemented on several fronts: transfer of prisoners from district police stations to jail; guarding prisoners while at SF General Hospital or court; assist with special events patrol and crowd management. Freeing up police officers from tasks that sheriffs can perform will help SFPD focus on more critical law enforcement objectives.