The San Francisco Police Commission is holding a second community meeting tonight to discuss the Police Department’s proposed use of Tasers or other stun guns.
The 6 p.m. meeting at the Scottish Rite Center at 2860 19th Ave., being held two weeks after an initial meeting, will continue to discuss police Chief Greg Suhr’s request for a pilot program for officers to carry the weapons.
The commission has yet to make a decision on the department’s policy on Tasers, but could consider their use following the last of the meetings next week.
Suhr has called for the use of stun guns to subdue dangerous or mentally unstable suspects, citing an incident last July in the Financial District in which an officer shot and killed a suspect armed with a box cutter.
However, several civil rights groups oppose the potential introduction of the additional weapon for officers.
Members of the National Lawyers Guild released a statement today in which the group called Tasers “dangerous weapons” that will add to the arsenal of the “over-militarized police force.”
Instead, the group has called for fully implementing SFPD’s crisis intervention training program, established in February 2011, which focuses on de-escalation strategies.
The third and final meeting about the issue will be held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the Bayview Opera House at 4705 Third St.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
Want more news, sent to your inbox every day? Then how about subscribing to our email newsletter? Here’s why we think you should. Come on, give it a try.
