the officers determined the suspect was riding without benefit obtained. the officers escorted the subject off of the vehicle without incident and requested he sit down on one of the benches nearby. mr. harding complied with that request well officer lopez conducted a standard warrant record check. as he heard officers radio transmission, he suddenly leapt to his feet and started to run east across third street into the crowded plaza with officers and foot pursuit. suddenly, and from a distance of 10 feet from the pursuing officers, harding a ride of the northern part of the plaza and reached his right hand under his left arm and then fired several rounds from his handgun at both of the officers. the officers immediately engaged in a firefight with the suspect.

he then it fell to the ground, suffering a gunshot wounds. officers approached the suspect to taken into custody and render medical aid. numerous responding officers arrived on the scene and observed the officers surrounded by a mob, many of whom were screaming and provoking hostility towards officers. as they attempted to secure the time seen -- crime scene, the mom became increasingly provocative with the threats directed towards officers. ultimately officers from four police stations and the tactical unit arrived to clear the plaza of the mall. in the aftermath of the shooting, it was determine the suspect was of recidivist criminal who was wanted in seattle, washington, for the murder of young, pregnant woman just one week before. this inference is the police department delayed -- delineates

the criteria that must be met for an officer of the san francisco police department to be awarded the medal of valor. that includes outstanding bravery beyond that expected in a line of duty, or failure to take such action would not justify censure. with the rest of life actually existed and officer had time to evaluate the risk, and where the objective is of the sufficient importance to the risk, and lastly and most importantly, where the officer accomplish the objective. on july 16, 2011, officer richard hastings and matthew lopez the kill each and every requested criteria for the medal of valor. they exemplified bravery of the highest level. in doing their duty and deterred by the fact that their lives were in imminent peril. they engaged in a gunbattle with a career criminal who was engaged with the ones in respect for public life and wanted to

escape to not be held accountable for a vicious murder. san francisco police officers know at any time and anywhere they need to put their lives on the line to do their duty to stop a criminal. july 16, 2011, officer richard hastings and mathew lopez put their lives on the line and did their duty. for that, they're being awarded the most prestigious award, the gold medal of valor. [applause]

>> those were the last of the nominees and recipients. the chief amount to the closing. -- will now do the closing. many of the people on the stage and an audience were present. as amazing as the stories were, you had to see it to believe it. some of the actions these officers took. we recognize the tennis solomon a moment ago, but i want to

recognize something. many of officers recognize are not first generation san francisco police officers. four of the six are not first generation san francisco police officers. can i get the other generation of police officers that gave us these police officers to stand up and be recognized. [applause] >> talk about raising your kids right. another recognition i want to make is we are going to experience in the next 30 days of record exit of police officers, especially commissioned officers due to the sun setting of the retirement program. many of the people that are

going out red nominations tonight. if i could, all officers that will be retiring and leaving us, they we think you for your service by getting you to stand. [applause] that is going to close our program. know that all of these officers when they get back to work, they will go out again looking for trouble and probably find it. i trust they will demonstrate again what these officers do every day, and that is keep this city safe. the command staff and commission will be available for pictures. family and kids for sure. if you can get your metal back from this little guy. thank you very much. hopefully we will see you all again soon. keep the officers in your thoughts and prayers. keep them safe. [applause]

>> good morning. i want to thank everyone for coming. you can tell by the group as an old -- assembled around me that the mayor has a big announcement to think. i want to thank the supervisors for taking time out of their day to be here. we have the police commission, fire commission, command stocks of both police and fire, the current class in the police academy, and the presidents of

local 798 and the poa. without further ado, the mayor of san francisco, ed lee. >> good morning. thank you for joining me here at the san francisco police academy. also for joining the men and women who serve our city and all their public safety responsibilities. i want to thank the supervisors that are here today. certainly i want to think chief suhr as well as chief hayes- white for being here. i want to give my personal operation -- appreciation to tom o'connor and our police officers association for working so closely with us. we have some great announcements today and something that no have been waiting on for quite some time. but before i do that, i just want to express to the cadets that standing behind me, i really want to thank you for all

of your work for the police and fire commissioners. i cannot really stand -- say enough about your commitment, your family's commitment, your dedication to our city as you complete your training here. to our fire personnel, especially our fire department training staff, thank you for your continued service in your important work in training the next generation of firefighters. the first for our police department. the police to barman is committed to being a world-class police department. a leader among urban police departments by hiring and promoting talented officers and professional staff, employing the highest standards of performance, the best practices in policing and accountability, and reflecting the values of world-class city that it deserves. we have brought the city's violent crime rate down to historic lows and implemented in

a bit of crime-prevention strategies to keep san francisco the safest big city in our country. our officers have dedicated long hours to protecting our citizens and have shown a commitment to finding better methods to deliver police services to victims of crime. volunteer time, both on and off duty to provide at-risk kids an opportunity and positive attitude with in their neighborhoods. a goal to be a mentor to new officers as they begin a career in a dangerous yet rewarding profession. with the expiration of the deferred retirement option program, the so-called drop program, the department is certain there will continue to be significant retirements. the program will end in june 2014 and will have a total of attrition of 265 officers over the three-year time span that began in 2011. so today, i am here to announce

to chief suhr that we have developed a multi-year staffing program that will reach the city charter mandated 1971 folded the officers. in the next two-year budget, which will be unveiling tomorrow, will -- we will be finding six police academy classes over the next 24 months. 2012 to 2014. the budget reflects hiring 300 officers, 50 per class, over the next two years. we will continue to hire three classes of 50 officers for the next six years. a six year time span. we anticipate to reach the city charter mandate of 1971 officers by june 2018. how about that? [applause] and i will say this, we cannot

have done it without collaboration from everyone, but also knowing that our city is exhibiting recovery economically, we can do this, and this has been a priority for my administration. we have been glad to work with the police officers association and all the officers, staff, and commission to get this done. keeping our cities it also requires the talented men and women of our fire department -- keeping our city safe. from the emt's to the paramedics to the firefighters, the san francisco fire department has been protecting our city for more than a century, and its members of moderately -- honorably risk their lives for our citizens. all the services that they provide, ranging from education to community work to putting a dangerous fires, our city cannot continue to function as a safe and secure city that it is.

we are announcing today 6 fire academy classes over the next six years. like the police the bernie, our fire department is also facing challenges. from retirees and a challenge -- we're looking at challenges in a fiscally responsible way. the current personnel is lower than it has been in the past decade. the additional firefighters were -- will help the department use less overtime. we have one h3 level 1 emt class in the fiscal year 2012-2013, slated to begin in july of this year. this will result in a net increase of 20emt's to the fire department. in the coming years, whether in the middle of the net as a first responder to a fire when the majority of our city is sleeping or in the broad daylight, with the international spotlight on america's cup, the san francisco fire department will guard, protect, and support our

city, inspire our young people and continue to be a model in the tradition of excellence. our san francisco police department and the fire department are responsible for providing public safety services to those who work, live, and visit our great city. this is a monumental task, one that requires a great deal of skill, knowledge, and above all, care and patience. i personally want to thank gary from the police officers association. all the visits to have made to the office and all the work you have done, but also your steadfast leadership in your patients, most above all. i know you have gone through many years and several mayors. -- and also your patience. to tom o'connor, firefighter's 798. thank you for being patient and being here as well. i know have been through some hard times in the past year,

year-and-a-half. i want to continue working with you and gary to make sure you know that this administration will work closely with u.s. we welcome in these new classes and make sure that our overtime is lower and that excitement of working in these departments continues. i look forward to working with everybody together and for our community to continue and make our world-class city even more safer. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you very much, mayor lee, not just for your comments but for the staffing that has just been announced. i also have to say thank you to the three members of the board behind me. supervisor scott wiener. supervisor malia cohen, supervisor carmen chu. and the other members for their support in making public safety a priority. the president is here somewhere. and the rest of the police commission.

this is just a tremendous day for san francisco. we have made tremendous inroads in impacting violent crime over the last few years. it is because of our staffing and the community support to do it through the community policing in the engagement of young people. this will allow us to keep doing that. we're going to lose close to 300 officers with the sunset of drop, and maybe another 100 officers before the summer of 2015. this will dramatically impact that. what the academy is is 29 weeks for entry level officers. eight weeks for lateral transfers. that includes a one-week fire arm training, one-week vehicle operation steny, one-week of officers of rival, and then continued use of force and physical training throughout. -- one-week vehicle operation training, one week of officer survival. and community policing. the mayor mentioned gary.

none of the efficiencies that we have had could have ever happened without the support of gary and the other members of the board of directors of the poa. the officers have stepped up, worked different hours, worked more weekends, gondar schedule changes, all in the effort to keep -- worked through schedule changes, all in the effort to keep san francisco 6. and will introduce chief hayes- white from the fire department. >> thank you. good morning. thank you, chief suhr. it is a great day. all the people behind me, fairly unprecedented to have such collaboration that the mayor talked about. a great announcement. we truly need the staffing. thank you for your support, a commitment to have consistent hiring over the next six years in the san francisco fire department. as the mayor stated, we are at an all-time low in terms of our fire fighters to remain committed to serve.

we're first responders to fires and emergency medical calls in the city. in recent years, we have not been able to hire to match the level of retirement. we had to face heavy reliance on overtime. that has become an issue for our department. we're delighted to hear that there will be consistent hiring. we're looking forward to having an infusion of new professionals that we will train to become san francisco firefighters, emt's, and paramedics. i cannot have happened without this caliber that ever. i would like to thank all the members here representing the san francisco fire department. we have our training staff. training is the foundation in any organization. you need a strong foundation in training. i am proud of the members of training that are here. i would also like to it knowledge the captain + that is here with engine 26, the neighborhood fire station. as no, one year on this matter that we lost two firefighters from that station.

we are proud to have you here representing the fire department. and president tom o'connor and the great efforts of local 798 to continue to push me, pushed the mayor, and to advocate for having full staffing in our department. i would also like to acknowledge the president of the fire commission, joined by commissioners. without your support, i do not think we would be here today. certainly, we have our partners in the department of emergency management that are here. 911, they're the unsung heroes. but they are a huge part of the city's efforts in how we apply our public safety resources. the executive branch of government under the mayor, working with the mayor's budget office, this year has been a particular challenge. they have stepped up every step of the way. they understand and have difficult decisions to make. they have been instrumental in getting us to where we are. and the legislative branch of government, with supervisor winner here today and

supervisor -- supervisor wiener here today and supervisor cohen and the rest of the board. and supervisor carmen chu, interprofessional, someone that understands the complexities of balancing the city budget -- a true professional. thank you very much for all of your efforts. we're very pleased that over the course of the next six years, at least every year we will be bringing in a class of the firefighters. for that, we're grateful. i know one of the big questions will be how that will impact your overtime. we have had heavy reliance on overtime. we're glad to be able to bring that level back down with the infusion of new members in our san francisco fire department. on july 9, we will be bringing in 30 emt's. we'll get the ball rolling shortly thereafter with a class of 42 h2 firefighters. i am proud to serve as fire chief. i love working with chief suhr.

he is my public safety partner. we collaborate. under major league, this is great news for all citizens -- under mayor lee. we are committed to serve our public and protect the public. that is what we will do. we will continue to do that, but it will be easier having the commitment to have regular classes coming in every year. so thank you very much. [applause] >> next up, the chair of the budget committee, supervisor chu. the mayor speaks often of the spirit of collegiality that has overtaken city hall and the unenviable task of figuring out how to parcel out the budget is done masterfully by supervisor chu, and she has some comments to make. [applause] supervisor chu: today, i am

joined that only by supervisors -- not only by supervisors cohen and wiener but in spirit by the supervisors who could not be here today. we have spoken highly about making sure that we not only keep the city safe but keep every single neighborhood dedicated to community policing and making sure we provide the best level of public safety possible. i just want to be here to be supportive of this announcement. we worked very hard together on this announcement, and i know we will have many conversations to come in coming months, but one of the areas i did want to emphasize is the fact that this is the first time we are talking about investment in public safety over a period of time. we have always talked about how

many classes we will be putting into the budget on a one-year basis. last year, for the first time, we were able to look at the budget through a five-year lens. this is the first and we're looking at the budget from a two-year balancing perspective. to be able to make a commitment to continue to invest in public safety over time is something i am extremely proud of and i think it sends us in a good direction. it is important to look at not only where we are now but how many retirements we might be seeing in the future and to really plan for that. that is the only way we can keep our public safety personnel at the level we need to continue to protect the members of the public. i want to thank the mayor for this historic announcement but for really keeping perspective -- and for keeping perspective in the long term out there. congratulations to the mayor and to the chief for this announcement, and again, my colleagues look forward to working with you on the budget. [applause] >> before we wrap up, i want to acknowledge and give an

opportunity to supervisors cohen and wiener to say a few words. they have been so supportive, whether they like it or not. [laughter] >supervisor wiener: thank you fr doing this. it was only a few years ago, before i was on the board, when seven supervisors voted to strip almost $100 million out of the public safety budget. unfortunately, they fell one vote short of the eight votes needed -- fortunately, they fell one vote short of the eight votes needed. i think the board understands that having public safety -- having adequate public safety is critical to the quality of life. we work directly with our district captains every day on public safety issues in our neighborhood. the one thing we hear over and over again is that we do not have enough officers on the

beat. we do not have at as much -- we did not have enough officers to do as much foot patrol at as we want. when you look at the numbers in the department, they have consistently gone down over the last number of years, and we know it will continue to go down in a pretty catastrophic way if we do not do something about it. last year at the board through the budget process we put in a police academy class, showing the commitment to adequate staffing of our public safety agencies. it is very exciting that we now see three academy class is in the police department a year going forward for a number of years -- three academy classes in the police department a year going forward. we will be supporting our fire department and cutting down on overtime and making sure we are supporting the critical work the fire department does. i am thrilled that this is happening, and i look forward to working with the mayor and with my colleagues to keep it going.

thanks. [applause] supervisor cohen: good morning -- good afternoon, everyone. i am is sitting here listening to the comments of many of my colleagues and our partners in public safety -- i am sitting here listening to the comments. also, a partner who deserves as much recognition and congratulations -- the members of the public, who have rode teh wave, -- the wave, the ups and downs that supervisor wiener just mentioned. yes, the men and women who put their lives on the line every day, but also the members of the public who have been patient and organized themselves and organized communities, block captains -- our volunteers in nert are also sometimes left off the table when we are thanking people. yes, the mayor deserves a lot of credit, and carmen chu has done

an excellent job in spearheading the budget discussions, but also the people. so this is very important for all of us. thank you. [applause] >> in closing, there is a chart in the back. a picture is worth a thousand words. it tells you where we are and where we are headed. i thank everyone for their support, and we will continue to employ as many efficiencies and strategies as we can to get as much out of what we have until we get these classes in and up to speed, and we will continue to work with the mayor's office and local 798 to see what we do to see if we cannot even get more officers in more quickly to get to our charter mandate. since it is getting kind of stuff the, we will break now. there are cantonese and spanish translators available if anyone's to avail themselves. everyone here is available for questions individually. maybe outside, get a little fresh air.

thank you so much for coming. [applause] >> thanks for >> there are kids and families ever were. it is really an extraordinary playground. it has got a little something for everyone. it is aesthetically billion. it is completely accessible. you can see how excited people are for this playground. it is very special. >> on opening day in the brand- new helen diller playground at north park, children can be seen swinging, gliding, swinging, exploring, digging, hanging, jumping, and even making drumming sounds.

this major renovation was possible with the generous donation of more than $1.5 million from the mercer fund in honor of san francisco bay area philanthropist helen diller. together with the clean and safe neighborhood parks fund and the city's general fund. >> 4. 3. 2. 1. [applause] >> the playground is broken into three general areas. one for the preschool set, another for older children, and a sand area designed for kids of all ages. unlike the old playground, the new one is accessible to people with disabilities. this brand-new playground has several unique and exciting features. two slides, including one 45- foot super slide with an elevation change of nearly 30 feet. climbing ropes and walls, including one made of granite.