The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the reappointment of Debra Walker to the police commission in a tense meeting, despite some members questioning her commitment to the commission’s mission.
In addition to Walker’s reappointment, C. Don Clay, a recently retired Alameda County judge and longtime criminal defense attorney, was unanimously appointed to the police commission, replacing Jim Byrne.
The vote on Walker was 7-3, with Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Dean Preston and Shamann Walton dissenting and Ahsha Safaí not present. At a June 3 committee meeting, Safaí had downvoted Walker, questioning her understanding of the body she served on and wondering if she even supported the police commission’s oversight mandate.
First appointed by Mayor London Breed in 2022, San Francisco artist and lesbian leader Walker served on the commission for a year and a half before her term expired this April.
Prior to the vote, Ronen, Preston and Walton raised some of their concerns. Citing statements Walker made earlier this month at the June 3 rules committee meeting, insinuating her desire to weaken the role of civilian oversight in policing, Walton said he “could not in good conscience” support her in this role.
In 2022, Walton voted in favor of her appointment, and said he had every intention of backing her again this time around. But he said the June 3 meeting changed his mind.
At the rules committee meeting last Monday, Walker had opined about “too much input from people who aren’t police officers.” Asked about the commission’s power over the police, she said that the commission has been “overstepping.”
“From her statements, she doesn’t believe the police commission should be setting policy for the department,” Walton said, explaining his vote to the packed chamber. “She advocated to decrease the role and the power of this commission, the very body she wishes to continue to serve on.”
Walker revised her previous statements on Tuesday, focusing on the role of Proposition E, which voters approved in March.
“The interpretation that I don’t support citizen oversight is exactly wrong,” Walker said. “I do, or I wouldn’t be there.”
Beyond the rules committee meeting, there were other issues that informed Preston’s vote against Walker’s reappointment, namely her stance on pretext traffic stops, in which small offenses can be used to pull over a driver and search for more serious issues.
“Having a police commissioner refusing to explicitly call for an end to pretext stops in 2024 is very troubling,” Preston said, emphasizing that the technique is historically damaging to Black and brown San Francisco residents.
Ronen, the rules committee chair, outlined one of the police commission’s main powers before the chamber: To promulgate regulations, known as department general orders, that set forth policies governing the context of officers in the field.
“The entire purpose of the police commission is to have citizen oversight over a department that has a paramilitary structure, that carries guns in society, and that has an outsized control over whether people live or die on the streets,” Ronen said. “And I think we should keep it that way.”
After voting against Walker’s 2022 appointment, Supervisor Connie Chan said she was on the fence this time around. But, after weighing the challenges the commission has undergone to even maintain a quorum, and taking input from queer constituents, Chan voted to reappoint Walker.
“I do want to be clear; I am continuing to call on the police commission and demand accountability and continual reform from our police department,” Chan said.
Though Supervisor Aaron Peskin didn’t attend the June 3 rules committee meeting and didn’t watch the tape, he approved Walker’s reappointment based on yesterday’s meeting.
The other members who voted in favor of Walker’s reappointment were quick to defend her from criticism. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he felt bad that she, as a lesbian and LGBTQ+ community leader, had to go through the questioning while the Pride flag was being lifted across the street.
Several members regard Walker as a close friend, and an admirable lifelong public servant. Supervisor Catherine Stefani used her time to address Walker directly, locking eyes from across the chamber.
Supervisor Myrna Melgar said she voted in favor of Walker because of her work protecting female officers and striving for representation in the police force, specifically the commission’s commitment to have at least 30 percent of the police force be female by 2030.
“All of the statistics, nationally, show that if we have more women in any police department, all of those things that we talked about, in terms of reform, excessive force, progressive policies — they all get better,” Melgar said.
Outside of the chamber, Walker celebrated her reappointment on the marble steps with a few colleagues, posing for a picture with the Harvey Milk bust.
“Coming in today, I was more and more committed to being here despite last week,” she said. “There’s a lot of people in the city who showed support.”
Walker is the poster hackasaurus for San Francisco Democrat’s political bankruptcy. Fresh from her seat warming at the BIC while corruption swirled on her watch, Walker failed upwards to the SFPD Commission where she was tasked with neutralizing the body as a vector for public oversight, per POA’s orders.
Marcos,
And, she was assigned to study Patrol Specials as part of her Portfolio and Commissioner Yee offered to join her in that work.
We know SFPD wants that organization pushing up daisies and Walker has been an absolute posterior smoocher for them.
Elect a strong Police Chief which Charter Mandates for Foot Patrols and Kobans !!
h.
“Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Dean Preston and Shamman Walton dissenting ”
That’s all I need to know. Those three clowns are a large part of the problem. If they’re against it, whatever it is, I’m for it.