in the city. quite frankly, with social media, often promoters put out information, and if attracts many people. this was an example of many more kids came up at the location than they could accommodate, and then frankly later the fire department determined this location wasn't even permitted to have this type of event. so i think while there is a lot of work that's being done, and i believe that the board of supervisors has put a lot of emphasis on this area, and so has the nare's office, i think -- the mayor's office, i think we need to continue to work on it. i think we are concerned and this -- frankly, in other areas my phone would have been ringing off the hook, and it was like the needle wasn't moved. i'm saying this for a reason. this should not be a one-day story. we should be angry.

we should be concerned. this is a human being that lost her life. and quite frankly, not engaged in any kind of risky activity. there was none of that here. i find that completely unacceptable. commissioner hammer: i am outraged, too. i lived in germany, and i speak germany. i travel a lot. it could have been anybody. so we're clear. did this event violate city regulations? in terms of permitting? >> no, the only violation was a fire code violation. the actual facility was not permitted to have any type of event of this type. but beyond that, it would not have been within the entertainment commission's current per view. and frankly, because we don't have a good vehicle to know when these events are occurring, we are not prepared to provide

adequate policing. it is a hole in the system, and it is a hole that we need to figure out a way to plug. commissioner hammer: that's the term i was going to use, a hole in the current regulations. along those lines, they didn't get a permit because apparently they didn't have to under current city law? but apparently they had some security? >> they did. they had security. typically what happens at these events, the security fell inward. they were policing the event inside, and they have no -- frankly they don't take ownership for what occurs outside the venue. and this particular event, they sold out, so there were many more kids coming in that wanted to come in that couldn't get in, so they created a greater congregation outside. then we had -- frankly we have 15-year-olds carrying guns, and i'm not sure the entertainment

commission will ever control that. there is obviously a breakdown in many areas, but i think there are areas that we need to get angry and we need to demand that they do better. >> my last, i guess, comment, and i think you hit the nail on the head, although they had internal security, unless the police department knows about this event, then externl issues are beyond their control. and in these larger events where the police department has experience, you might say this could attract a more dangerous situation than we can react to. i think the police commission needs to support whatever efforts so we can support you so that whatever is drafted, how does the sfpd get noticed so we can keep people who lirve here and everybody else, tourists, safe. i appreciate you bringing us to our attention.

>> i would love to see the commission take a leadership role beyond talking about it. twe inject ourselves into dealing with the -- we actually inject ourselves into dealing with the entertainment commission. commissioner hammer: if we were to call a joint hearing with the entertainment commission and the police commission and give real input on security on the streets life and death, i think that would be a good idea? >> i think it would be a wonderful idea. 4578 hamilton -- commissioner hammer: i will. when it comes to that matter, i will do that. >> thank you. president marshall: commissioner mazzucco. vice president mazzucco: we spoke last week about the homicide issue. i agree with you that no homicide is a good homicide. reality is that the entertainment commission has control over these venues. we are responsible for the procedures and policies of the police department.

in my conversation with with you we talked about how we can get this on our radar screen. in our discussion i said i would like to have some indication from the police department, how much is this nightclub activity a drain on our resources? and commissioner dejesus and i talked about this. that's where we come into play. it is a drain on our resources. the comment you made to me on these weekend nights there are 14 or 15 or 16 of these parties that brings out police activity, and i am told you have to move police facilities into these district stations. the police department and the resources are front and center of this. we -- what are we doing with policing these events.

so i called you. i was very concerned about thi murder, because the reality in san francisco is our number one industry is tourism. that pays for all the programs in this town. for us to ignore a homicide of a german tourist, is something we should not ignore. as i know, you were pretty animated about it in our phone call with you. is it possible, i was going to save this later for the agenda items, and i think commissioner hammer and commissioner dejesus would agree. >> they came out with us one night, and i think commissioner dejesus has a good understanding what it looks like in the evenings. but i think having the hearing would be a good thing. i think we certainly would do

everything we can to quantify to the best of our ability, frankly . a lot of times we may not be able to give you a full spectrum, because units may respond and they may or may not put themselves out of service. i want to be clear. i am not anti-club. we have a lot of responsible operators. in fact, we have a club owner who is eling helping us very well good practices. so the problem is not the good operators. the problem is the ones that are on the fringes that just refuse to play by the rules. i want to make it clear, i'm not dumping on the entertainment commission. i think the entertainment commission is trying to do a lot of work. it is one of those things, frafpkly i think this is the tipping point, and i think we should be angry, because it was a person not involving any risky behavior. it is not that any homicide is ok, but this is a person that was looking at a rest room menu.

she was a few doors away from her hotel room. she was in the early evening hours. there were 300 or 400 people milling around. we are fortunate there were not other people that got killed. there were three people that got slot. of course in her case, it resulted in her death. i any most cities in america would be angry about this stuff. and in this city we have let it go like it i president marshall: this happened before you got here, but i think we all remember the sons of italy. it was a promoter. and for me, this is probably -- i know the kids that go to these things. i kind of know going in. so i know the dynamics of what can happen at these things.

it is like a combuss combustible beaker. so i'm happy to do anything we can, because it is a very volatile situation if it is not done correctly from the ground up. i'm not sure these things are being done from the ground up directly. i'm not talking about just the nightclubs out there, i'm specifically at this point talking about the imprompt ewe -- impromptu things put together. who are you? how are you doing? the elements, you can kind of force-feed. i echo your sentiments, because i deal with this world all the time. anybody gets shot, it is really, really, really tragic for all of us.

commissioner dejesus: thank you, chief, for bringing this to our attention and bringing it up this morning. it is an incredibly important topic. just on the side, just about everybody i know was talking about this and very concerned about it and worried about it and upset about it. it is interesting, you know, in a city like san francisco where everybody is so energetic and vocal about things that you weren't hearing more about this. it is something we need to give our highest -- a very high priority to. i want to echo my agreement to all my fellow commissioners who have addressed this tonight, as well. i am wondering where do we go now to give this a high priority

and move ahead with exploring this either with or without the entertainment commission, how we go about that, and what you would suggest, chief, in terms of pursuing this. [previous speaker was carol kinsly] president marshall: i thank all of you. >> we have several staff members with her, and i know we have people also from our animal control here to talk very briefly about the vicious dog unit. >> good evening, commissioners.

director katz is also here from animal care and control, and i'm here to discuss this evening, i believe the last police commission, many of the citizens were upset that sergeant herndon had retired and that the animal referee or the judge that we have over there for the vicious and dangerous animals was not going to be staffed. that is certainly not the case. we have worked together to make sure that unit is cleared up. sergeant herndon is actually in retirement with five months to go. we have a brand new officer who will now be working with animal acare and control. officer hicks. she is a very qualified, very compassionate police officer. she has an outstanding resume working with the community, teaching, and i think she is

going to be a fabulous person to have in this position. we also talked about the hearings, which we have never done away with. we want to bring it more in line . we did not have a lot of educational components regarding the vicious and dangerous dogs. now we will be including that in our academy training. officer hicks will start doing this as we work with our academy training. also, working in the community,

i get many calls about vicious and dangerous dogs and i call the unit directly and have them come out. but a new department since chief gasgon has organized the department, we have community advisory groups we work with. the speakers will be coming out from the dog units, officer hicks, and officer denny. we take this as an opportunity to help with the investigation. i think from every road block something good happens. dr. katz has been good working with myself and the unit, and we have had several meetings, and we just had a meeting the other day, and we are very pleased with the selection of officer hicks.

we have spoke wen with p.a.w.s. i think one of the things we work on is making it better, letting the community know we are behind that, and again modernizing it and making it a better unit. director k atch tz is here. i -- director katz is here. and i would like to thank her and easing our fears that the department was never going to be replaced. so a miscommunication occurred and many people got up in arms, but we were very compassionate. all the officers chosen for the dog unit are trained dog lovers. i'm a dog lover. it has been a good opportunity for us this week. director katz?

>> good evening, commissioners. i'm a dog lover, too. all animals. as captain baret -- barrett said, we've been talking about the vicious and dangerous dog unit with sergeant herndon's reassignment and looking at his impending retirement, we have been talking a lot about how it would transition. we knew officer denny would remain with us. we know he works hard to educate the public and investigate these complaints. as you know with recent media afention in the bay area, there are a lot of concerns that people have a place to go and voice their concerns. commissioner hammer remembers very well, i think, when die an wipple was mauled, that a lot of people had concerns about those dogs and didn't know where to go. we see there is a need for a vicious and dangerous dog unit.

with officer hicks we know we have a hearing officer that understands the issues, is getting up to speed, and we're all working very collaboratively. so we're working at being able to address the community's concerns, animal welcome advocates concerns, and really move forward and do more. i think for several years there has been a d.g.o. waiting to be looked at and due for revision. so we're going to look at sna and -- and bring that to you as well. i think that the vicious and dangerous dog unit will move forward with captain barrett. commissioner hammer: if there's a presentation, maybe we can wait until the end for questions.

captain barrett, were you going to have a community member speak as part of your presentation? >> we have several community members here and when we had our meeting the other day with director katz, we stayed for quite a while after and we realized we were all on the same page. we want to guard against, you know, any animals being put down that don't have to be put down, working with the animal behavioralist. we do have people here -- commissioner hammer: it is your presentation. if that's the case, then it would be good to do that. i have a few comments and questions. >> we were going to have a power point, but we eliminated that. commissioner hammer: did you wapt to have sally stevens speak? thank you. >> i have to thank sally because when we got together i said we were all on the same page.

she is to be applauded in her organization. >> thank you. my name is sally stevens. several weeks ago the rumors started flying that the department might shut down the animal unit. people were very concerned. in other areas, animals are not consistently put down and there is no consistency. san francisco, on the other hand, our rulings in dog court have been taylored to -- tailored to fit the individual dog's situation. youth nashia reserve -- euthenasia reserved for truly aggressive dogs. this early intervention has no

doubt saved people from serious injury or worse. when we heard rumors it might close, we were worried all this good work would be lost. i'm happy to say the unit is continuing. they will continue with out-reach and education and euthena sism a only when necessary. officer hicks has expressed interest in expanding the out-reach and education. also we believe there will be better follow-up to make sure dog mandates are being followed. we look forward to working with the animals when they arrive. this is community policing at its best. this department has worked in an admittedly -- we ensure the unit

continues to function in a nationwide modpell. the community trust has been rewarded and as things calm down, we will no doubt be strengthened in the future. i know you will no doubt draft and codify the many things the unit does. i would like to commend officers hicks and barrett for their willingness to talk and listen to the community's concerns. i met with them yesterday and a behavioralist to discuss how the unit will move forward, and commissioner hammer was there, as well. i look forward to future exchanges and ideas. it is heartening to find we are all on the same page as we work to ensure the unit is the best it can be. in the city of san francisco, we expect nothing lells. -- nothing less. out of all the confusion, some good really has come. i want to at that time department for the out-reach.

president marshall: nothing like communication, huh? >> yeah, funny how that works. commissioner hammer: captain, commissioner hammer: captain, about how long do you think it will take to get the proposed d.g.o. in shape to bring before the commission? >> actually, one was drafted two or three years ago. it was sent down but not adopted. director cats -- katz is an attorney, and she offered when we were at the table the other day, she's going to review that, looking at it now with her eyes not as city attorney but the director of animal care and control, and tweak that, bring it forward, and then we'll have that ready for the chief and send it through our written direct yiffs. commissioner hammer: could you introduce the new officer and the long-time officer denny as well.

>> this is deputy hicks. >> some have said i've gone to the dogs, but i can't wait to get going. >> and then john depeny 0 -- denny who has been at the unit over 10 years. together they will make a great pair. out of every miscommunication or event comes some good, and i don't even think any of us realize the skillset that chery has, and she's really going to be very dynamic referee judge over there, and a real positive person onboard there. commissioner hammer: unfortunately, i know too much about vicious dogs. if they problems aren't handled soon, they result in deaths sometimes. some of them can be saved, if proper measures are taken.

that's what deny has done and officer hicks will do and what officer herndon did. i think sally stevens said it right. this is the best example of community policing and it is a testament to this department. chief gadown, when he first got the call, hen he first got the call, he said what's this all about? this didn't happen? it looked like bad news, but it turned out to be good news. what i told the community members is that the chief is a man of his word, he did he what he said he would do, and we actually have a better partner in him today. that's a debt e testament to the department, the chief, and the community members who spoke up and said how important it was. officer denny, you have terrific work for many years. thank you so much.

sergeant herndon, there comes a time when everybody moves on, and that's the way it goes. it is not our position to dick dathe at a time personnel to the police department. that's the way it goes. at the end of the day, all community members wanted the unit to continue. i think this has been a good opportunity to publicize the city and the great work they have done. thank you for all your work. >> thank you. president marshall: thank you. hamilton p hamilton lam i want to thank -- commissioner hammer: i want to thank commander crenshaw, too. >> i have practiced in front of the dog court and i have been in front of the dog court. officers were excellent at the vicious animal court.

they are well versed regarding canine behavior. they were there consistently so they got the feel of it. they knew what was going on. their decisions were fair and balanced. i think they were compassionate at the dog court. i am sorry to hear that sergeant herndan has retired. i think we should recognize the valuable service that these officers have given to san francisco. 6 -- commissioner dejesus: also, i want to thank you, captain barrett and ms. katz for collaborating and meeting with the community and coming up with some ideas. i wasn't at the meeting, so i wanted to ask some clarification. officer hicks, are you going to be a hearing officer, or will there be rotating hearing officers? i'm not sure.

>> i am the hearing officer. i think it is important to have that skinsy. as far as a rotating sferks i heard rumors, i don't know where they come from, but that wouldn't be consistent with being fair. you need the experience. you need to know canine behavior, of course, which i have two dogs and a plethora of kities. so i have the balance there. i actually worked with dogs in my past life. it is different to play with dogs. when you work with them professionally, you learn their behavior. commissioner dejesus: i am happy to hear that. i am glad to hear you have dogs. one of the things you mentioned with educational components will be part of this package. i was wondering, how are you going to set this up? are you going to work with miss katz and come up with the curriculum? >> sherry was the

post--certified instructor at our academy. numerous hours of training. we will work with director katz and we want to come up with best practices for teaching the first responders how to deal with the vicious dogs. we discussed hout we want to -- at our meeting how we want to prevent many of the dogs getting shot. we have pitbulls already getting shot, and we think that is already a dicey situation because a dog is a moving target. so trying to train our animals how to handle t it is an officer safety component, but again educating our community advisory boards and our community organizations what to do when they have that animal in their neighborhood that they are afraid of could turn into a dangerous animal. a dangerous pitbull is like a deadly weapon. we see across the bay area, there are sv