Officers for Justice-Peace Officers Association, which represents SF’s African American police officers, sent a letter to Mayor Lee opposing the proposal to arm SFPD officers with Tasers or stun guns.

According to ABC7, they’re against the plan because they believe the weapons will be used on “certain classes of people like drug abusers, mentally disabled, and minorities.”

Police Chief Greg Suhr last August asked the San Francisco Police commission to approve a pilot program in which crisis intervention-trained officers would be armed with Tasers or stun guns.

The Police Commission has delayed a decision on the use of the devices until a series of public meetings on the issue wrapped up, which they did in February.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups have opposed the proposal from the get-go, saying the devices are too dangerous and that police should instead focus on fully implementing its February 2011 crisis intervention program that focuses on de-escalation strategies.

Police say that under the proposed pilot program, the officers carrying the stun guns would face many restrictions on their use and would also be required to have a defibrillator nearby.

the author

Eve Batey is the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Appeal. She used to be the San Francisco Chronicle's Deputy Managing Editor for Online, and started at the Chronicle as their blogging and interactive editor. Before that, she was a co-founding writer and the lead editor of SFist. She's been in the city since 1997, presently living in the Outer Sunset with her husband, cat, and dog. You can reach Eve at eve@sfappeal.com.

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