Today, the Public Defender’s Office filed a complaint with the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability asserting that two SFPD officers violated numerous police department policies when they racially profiled, used excessive force, and carried out illegal detention and arrests at a private home in August 2025. More specifically, the officers treated a Black man...Read More

Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command. On Oct. 29, a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against Luis Leal, 29, who was arrested on June 8 in front of...Read More

Police union’s suit challenges new policy that limits pretext stops FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 5, 2025PRESS CONTACT: Public Relations Officer Jessie Seyfer | pdr-mediarelations@sfgov.org | (628) 271-9800 SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office has filed an amicus brief joining the City of San Francisco as it fights a lawsuit brought by the SF Police Officers Association regarding...Read More

Body-worn camera footage shows officers shoved, knocked to the ground, and ridiculed a woman who was on her way to work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 18, 2024PRESS CONTACT: Public Relations Officer Jessie Seyfer  |  pdr-mediarelations@sfgov.org  |  (628) 271-9800 SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco police in riot gear repeatedly shoved a woman, violently tackled her to...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2024 CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS STATEMENT** Despite SFPD’s Touted Reforms, Racial Bias and Excessive Force Persist SAN FRANCISCO — Today at City Hall, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) held a ceremony to mark the completion of the final of 272 reforms collectively known as the Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI). These...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 7, 2024 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | Jessie Seyfer |  PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | (415) 851-2212 **PRESS RELEASE** Traffic Safety, Civil Rights Groups Urge SF Police Commission to Override Police Union’s Stalling and Enact Policy Limiting Racially-Biased Pretext Stops   SAN FRANCISCO – The Coalition to End Biased Stops, a coalition of more than 110 civil rights, traffic...Read More