SF Examiner: "San Francisco drug arrests tumble"

An article in today's San Francisco Examiner describes a shift in local policing policies that has dramatically decreased the number of drug-related arrests in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties.  In San Francisco, drug-related arrests dropped from 9,832 in 2010 to 1,534 in 2012.

"Across The City, the push was 

to get the users into treatment, and treat [drugs] 

as a public health issue and not a criminal issue."  

-- San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr

San Francisco drug arrests tumble as police focus on serious and violent crime
by Chris Roberts

On his way out of City Hall on a recent evening, Police Chief Greg Suhr encountered a crime in progress — a man sitting on the steps of a basement entrance, syringe in hand. Suhr said he handled it in the way the Police Department currently deals with drug crimes.

"We disposed of the narcotics, and we had [the man] safely dispose of the syringe," the chief recalled Monday.

In other words, nobody was arrested and nobody went to jail for a nonviolent, low-level drug offense — the types of crimes increasingly seen as low-priority for law enforcement, by both the public and police.

Drug arrests are on a steep decline in the Bay Area and in San Francisco, where such arrests — for felonies and misdemeanors — have dropped 75 percent over the past five years, according to California Department of Justice data.

In The City in 2008, police made 9,832 drug-related arrests, 75 percent of which were felonies. In 2012, police made 1,534 such arrests, nearly all of which (1,403) were felonies.

A 2010 change in state law that made low-level marijuana possession an infraction rather than a misdemeanor has lowered arrest stats, but police say the arrest reduction is more due to staffing changes and a philosophical shift in law enforcement's approach to drugs.

Heather Fong was still the chief of police in 2008, the high-water mark for drug arrests over the past decade. Within two years, drug arrests had dropped by half.

When Suhr took over from Fong's successor, George Gascón, in April 2011 he inherited a police force 300 officers below its "full-strength" complement of 1,971. To devote more resources to serious, violent crimes, Suhr drastically downsized the narcotics unit — once 100 strong — to an unspecified smaller number of inspectors who now focus on trafficking, the chief said Monday.
The change appears to be for good. The department's old arrest-heavy approach "wasn't working," Suhr said.

"Across The City, the push was to get the users into treatment, and treat [drugs] as a public health issue and not a criminal issue," he said.

While no specific data is available to show how many arrestees now see treatment centers rather than jail cells, Suhr said nonviolent drug offenders are given the option to access services, including education.

Other Bay Area cities have seen similar drops. Oakland made 4,035 drug-related arrests in 2008, but that dropped to 1,071 in 2012. In San Jose, there were 6,217 such arrests in 2008 and 2,190 in 2012, according to Justice Department data.

The shift won praise from the Drug Policy Alliance think-tank and San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi.

"It's in line with what the public wants," Adachi said Friday. "The focus should be on violent, serious crimes."

A spokesman from the San Francisco District Attorney's Office noted that drug prosecutions had dropped 69 percent in four years.

Click here to view the article.

"Drug court justice"

Read the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial from 6/6/2008 below (full text):

"Drug addiction, alcohol abuse and mental health problems are blamed for a quarter of San Francisco's crime. For the most part, the city leans on an arrest-and-release spin cycle that perpetuates the problem.

After 18 months of work, a wide coalition of judges, law enforcement officials and social service leaders are proposing a break from the usual. Take suspects arrested for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies - such as shoplifting, car burglaries or small-time drug peddling - to a one-stop court..."

Q & A with SFPD

Back in November, we posted about our Behavioral Health Court graduation ceremony, and about a special award that was presented to a member of the SFPD, Officer Michelangelo Apodaca, for his commmitment to working with a client in BHC. After arresting Mr. C* numerous times, Officer Apodaca was instrumental in the success of this client and his entry to BHC, even going out of his way to attend Mr. C's BHC progress reports in court.

(Left to Right) Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, District 11; Officer Michelangelo Apodaca, Chief's Office-Public Affairs; Chief of Police, Heather J. Fong; and, Commander Stephen Tacchini, Field Operations Bureau

We asked Officer Apodaca a few questions about his views about BHC, mental health and criminal justice, and the SFPD. Here's what he had to say:

How did you get involved in Behavioral Health Court?
I first became aware of Behavioral Health Court after coming into contact with Mr. C (through several arrests), when he was admitted to Behavioral Health Court.

The Tarval District Community was having a lot of difficulties with Mr. C as he was physically acting out on them. Eventually, his case was referred to BHC.

It's unsual for a Police Officer to follow the progress of a BHC client. What motivated you to do so?
My motivation to follow the progress of Mr. C was varied. First of all, the community was "at their wits end" in regards to dealing with him. They were asking for help and I believed our efforts and that of other City Agencies could help resolve the issues.

As I began to work more closely with the various City agencies, I saw that there were many individuals who also cared about the community and wanted to protect Mr. C as well. I saw this as an opportunity to protect the community and help Mr. C get the mental health services he desperately needed.

I spoke with Mr. C's parents and they wanted help with their son as well, but didn't know where to turn. BHC was the stepping stone to help get Mr. C assimilate back into the community he had once been terrorizing.

San Francisco's Department of Public Health provides 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Training for Police Officers. The training educates officers about mental health issues and how best to deal with an individual who may be suffering from a mental illness. How did this training help you to understand this client?
The Crises Intervention Training was among the most innovative courses I have taken in the Department. In a word, it helped me become more compassionate. I was exposed to individuals who "lived and breathed" what it was like to live with a mental illness. It most definitely gave me additional insight into what individuals with mental illness must overcome in their daily lives.

What do you want other Police Officers to know about your experience with BHC?
I would want other Police Officers to know that there are alternatives for individuals who have committed crimes AND require treatment for their mental illness. The two can work together to benefit not only the community, but to assist individuals who can benefit from the many programs the City has to offer.

There are many options to consider when dealing with persons who have mental illness. I would tell Police Officers that sometimes it is necessary to consider alternative options, not immediately apparent, such as the program that has served Mr. C and the community in which he lives, so well. BHC is a program that has changed livs in a postive way and I believe will continue to do so in the future. I am proud to have begun my association with Behavioral Health Court.
*Client's name has been changed to protect the individual's privacy.