SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/BCN) — Attorney General Rob Bonta has agreed to mediate talks between San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott and District Attorney Chesa Boudin in the hopes settling a heated debate over the future of police use of force investigations.
Earlier this month, Scott terminated an investigative agreement between his department and DA’s Office covering use of force cases in the wake of revelations during the trial of Officer Terrance Stangel.
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The agreement, or memorandum of understanding, between the agencies went into effect in July 2021 and allows the district attorney’s Independent Investigations Bureau to respond to crime scenes and investigate officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths and use of force cases.
Stangel is being tried on charges of battery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault likely to cause great bodily injury and assault under color of authority. A DA Office investigator testified under oath that she felt pressured to mislead police and withhold evidence from a sworn affidavit out of fear of losing her job.
The alleged assault occurred in October 2019 encounter with Dacari Spiers, an unarmed Black man. Stangel and another officer initially responded to a report of a man choking a woman in the city’s Fisherman’s Wharf area and, once at the scene, a struggle ensued between Spiers and the officers.
During the encounter, Stangel allegedly struck Spiers’ legs with a baton several times, resulting in Spiers suffering a broken leg and wrist, as well as lacerations to his leg.
The testimony has broiled over into a heated public debate with an exchange of accusations between Scott and Boudin. Even after a Wednesday afternoon meeting between the two men, the debate continued hours later at a police commission meeting.
Scott told the commission he was still committed to independent investigations but said an ongoing pattern of noncompliance with the agreement’s terms by the district attorney’s office has “catastrophically damaged confidence” among the police department.
Several commissioners expressed disappointment in Scott’s decision.
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“I felt that you had directly attacked this commission’s authority by issuing a withdrawal from the MOU without consulting us,” said Commissioner John Hamasaki said. “The problem came because you blindsided us.”
Hamasaki added, “You had to know that issuing a press release and sending it out to the media while this trial was going on is going to get in front of San Franciscans and is going to get in front of jurors. To me that seemed pretty intentional to influence the jurors and to suggest that the District Attorney’s Office couldn’t be trusted.”
Scott denied any ulterior motives and said the dispute has reached a “breaking point” after hearing the recent testimony.
“I don’t care about being like and I’ve made some very difficult decisions here,” Scott said. “I’m here to do a job.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Boudin called in.
“The first I’ve heard of most of the allegations against my office, including many that occurred under a prior administration, has been in the press and in this hearing tonight. That’s frustrating,” Boudin said. “I don’t go to the press. I call the chief to try and work it out and we’ve had a pretty good open channel of communication, until last week.”
“The decision to withdraw is a massive violation of public trust and a huge step backward in police reform and police accountability,” Boudin said. “I agree the MOU needs clarification and I welcome that process.”
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Source: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com.