frankly the report has a lot of issues. maybe you have -- the rest of the -- the rest of us did not get this information until today. there is no mention of police reports, criminal cases resolved because of the specials involved. nothing about the lives that have been saved. they did a great job of covering all the negatives, but failed to see what we do right. we have exclusive right to patrol the streets. the law is on the books. we have asked over and over and over again. the police department refuses to even deal with that. so 1750 is a red herring, this ideas that we're getting an unfair advantage to patroling. that's not fair.

any citizen can go to radio shack and buy a police scanner. the majority of security systems patroling have scanners in their cars. that is bogus. if you want to secure the channels, make it encrypted, and then we could have an issue there. you are broad casting it in public, not in digital format, anyone can listen to it over a trunking scanner. you talk about our uniform looking similar, if we are truly private, why is there a need to regulate the uniforms we wear. anyone that would confuse us with sfpd or they would confuse sfpd working 10-b stuff as not working for private clients.

the thing is, people are going to confuse. it is our role out there to say, this is what we are. i have one more thing to say, i know it is over my time. you say we don't serve the citizens. i would like you to tell that to the district attorney, because the district attorney commended us for the arrest of a gang member now serving time in san quentin because of my testimony. thank you so much for your time. [applause] >> good evening, commissioners. i am a private citizen here in san francisco. i have worked in telecommunications for years. anybody can receive the channels on san francisco's smart net system.

as a private citizen i have gone out and seen patrols, and i am sure it psychologically reduces the crime in my neighborhood. i am pleased. i became friends with some specials, and therefore i am here to support them. the economy is in a bad state, and i think that the minimal amount that it takes from the city serves a great benefit for us citizens. thank you for your time, commissioners. [applause] >> good evening, commissioners. i would like to acknowledge that i am speaking in in memory of

officer jane warner tonight. i have six years direct experience, two in glenn park and two in the castro. i certainly appreciate another opportunity to submit a more cogent response. the program was designed to implement improvement, but that doesn't seem to be the study in front of you. the recommendations are there, ask there are a few things we can work on together with you. some of them are simple. i'm sure we can amend and put information on the prosures, and apparently the -- brochures and apparently the one we drafted in glen park is confusing. i have already started a revised edition. we don't say it, but it didn't

come from us or the patrol specials. the issue here, we have tnt people in the community on the police department in our officer force. let's sit down and work together and deal with some of these sub stantive issues that remain. we really can resolve them. it concluded five months ago, and it is simply out of date. it is not relevant to what is happening in this city. crime is moving into formerly safe neighborhoods. it is affecting tourists. business is being concerned downtown. crime is not just car booths and purse snatchings anymore. women are getting knocked down in the streets of glen park.

a formerly quiet village. what happened two years ago, we gathered a group of grassroots organizations. we raised money and we considered, should we hire a security guard company. we did consider that. we decided it didn't provide a sufficient level of security for what we needed. we wanted an office with -- officer with police radio so he would know who was coming into our area and could help us wamp out fofferthafment -- watch out for that. we hired officer wiley with 35 years of experience. and we feel enormously relieved seeing him on foot patrol. we have an officer, and i pay for him along with others. the hourly rate is quite open and posted foffer -- for you. my second response --

a bit more time, sir? president marshall: i can give you 30 seconds. 30 seconds. >> may i have her time. president marshall: 30 seconds. >> i would like to enter into evidence the patrol specials do serve the wider community. they don't just serve me, they serve my entire neighborhood. i would like to event a commendation for robert burns railroad are for -- burns for medal of honor. he witnessed a shooting, he had time to assess the situation and protect hundreds of fleaing people. these are words from the 10ant who recommended him to central station for an award.

president marshall: thank you very much, ma'am. >> i have two more documents simply to offer. president marshall: give it to the lieutenant. >> thank you. president marshall: thank you. [applause] >> commissioners, i'm from the libtarne -- libertarian party. i don't have any financial stake in this. i don't work in law enforcement

in anyway. i feel more represented as a citizen by the patrol specials than i do by the sfpt. i feel they better reflect the kind of priorities i would like to see law enforcement take in this community. they are community driven. even ms. craven said they were more approachable, in effect. she said the lighter colored uniforms are seen as more approachable. you may know in, commissioners, but i understand that miss craven actually works for the police union. what you are seeing is a blatant conflict of interest. the police union has been opposed and wants to shut this organization down. they have been trying to do this for years. it has already been decimated from what it used ton to be. -- what it used to be.

i believe it is all about the money. they would rather have clients of patrol specials being forced to pay police officers overtime in order to attend the program at higher rates. this $300,000 will save the city a lot of money in the long run by maintaining this program. you were mentioned earlier about the cost. i believe this is a scare tactic. you should look at lawsuits against sfpd strs patrol specials. what you are talking about is not even a real thing that's happened. the city has had to pay off millions of dollars in lawsuits against the sfpd. so really by having more patrol specials there with their own private insurance, that is

decreasing the state's liability, not increasing it. she said you can't let your police department be subpoena -- be supplanted. choice helps the public. i think it will help keep the police officers on their toes if they know there are other officers out there who are doing similar work at a lower cost to the public. [bell] the patrol specials should not be put under the control of the police department. that is causing a lot of problems we are seeing here. thank you very much. >> good evening.

my name is andrea aiello. when i first took this position, i was really shocked. i thought, oh, my this is interesting. but san francisco is unique. people explained to me that this is in the city charter. i think the problem is, after i finished reading that report last night, i thought, this report doesn't talk about the benefit patrol specials brings to the city, it talks about the cost the city incurs, but there is no accounting of how much financial benefit the patrol specials bring. i think they bring a benefit way beyond just to the individual businesses that hire them, because they can patrol.

so they have a lot of clipets and they patrol the streets of that neighborhood and provide a lot more safety and security. we have hired patrol specials to basically patrol three hot spots that we have in the castro and upper market neighborhoods. we couldn't hire for community security reasons. we have a popular castro at harvey milk plaza. they walk through. they are on call. and then down on market street, they patrol by -- the public toilet is by safeway. those public toilets are a haven for drug use. we couldn't hire a security guard to stand in those spots. it wouldn't work in our neighborhood to have security guards stay there. we considered working with the

late late-night miller commants. just way too much money. we couldn't afford to hire 10-b officers. i know there were -- one of the commissioners was concerned about access to patrol specials, and if there is not a patrol special in the neighborhood, they don't have access. many well, -- well, the 10-b is too expensive for many neighborhoods. we pay the same rates as glen park. it is more affordable, and it works. i would also like to note that in the newspaper yesterday or this morning there was published a letter -- [bell]

patrol specials can help the police department meet their needs. i think we can all pork -- work together and be really creative force -- president marshall: sorry to stop you. thank you. >> hello. my name is ken craig. i fill a number of roles. one of them i lead a martial arts organization and have been for a number of years. i recently got a number of different events. we are a civilian organization. which actually patrols the

streets of the castro. we do that in association with the san francisco mission police station. we work with supervisor dufty. support for that entire program. we are a lot of what -- a lot of what was in the report was factually accurate. it shows a complete misunderstanding of what the special officers do. what i do in my neighborhood is i am part of the n.a.r.c. team. i was talking to some neighbors down there, and they see low priority crimes take two to seven hours to respond to it. they will always get there,

specifically if the event mass acoward and has gone. that dunts respond to the needs of the local community. the patrol specials are an option. i also provide the opportunity of volunteer patrol. most of these condominium owners are aware of private security. they choose to wemple patrol specialists to get the that safety they have for private property. it is a red herring to suggest that private security is an alternative or equivalent to. it isn't. otherwise people would not be utilizing them. basically i would scug read the report and take a look at what's going on in the neighborhood. i don't believe that miss craven has attended many community meetings.

[unintelligible] >> as we responded to that, s.f.p.d. did not have enough control. they did direct ourselves as well as -- [bell] so there is much in that report that doesn't reflect the true situation oferinge on the ground. thank you. president marshall: thank you. >> demigsers, my name is jane green and i am a resident that

benfits from the patrol specialists. there has been a trrtable improvement in terms of plife, -- of life and safety. you have those testimonials in the documents you've been given. it seems to me you have an extraordinary opportunity to do something very right or very wrong with this bill. if you engage a group with a competitive bias you will naturally see a bias report from that emerge. the wrong thing to do is accept the very plaud assumption implicit in this report. which is, what is good for the sti is not good for the citizenry. the people that live in the neighborhoods that are today

protected by patrol specials, enjoy a higher level of safety and security that is measurable. we get daily reports many we have information that's been quantity identified. we have a number of stories of crimes averted because patrol specials were in. take the suggestion that is help build a greater bond between the police and the patrol specials. use that to strengthen both. if you -- the missions and values are to protect the safety and security of everyone who lives in this city.

thank you. [applause] >> i have read the report. i have no affiliation what soofer with the police specials. but i would like to sbeak from the pro-- i would like to speak from the perception as the taxpayer. if the 10-b program is the elephant in the room, it is a drain larger than these patrols. i think the city government is

saying they will go up to obtain the mean, but they can't because all the government entities are running into similar problems. so you knt do that. so you need to solve the problems locally. it seems to me police patrols are a tool. a way for you to consider solving the problem. i would like to offer this report. which in my opinion is diametrical opposition to the report that was offered airlinier. -- earlier. the reason for that again is because this prort talks about what this benefit to the taxpayers.

so i would hope that the discussion doesn't stop here. i would hope you would allow citizens like myself, taxpayers like myself say, what is going on? why is it we are assessing a report that is opposite of reports issued previously. i thank you. from i hope to hear more discussion. rather than less. thank you. [applause] president marshall: further public comment on this item? hearing none? mr. craven. i think the they want you for -- i think the lawyers call it redirect. would you answer a few ques questions that may have emerged.

>> i don't think there is anyone in the room that does not think the patrol specials are trying to do a good job. i don't think there is anyone in the room that doesn't think threr doing the best job they can and that they are trying to help the citizens of san francisco. i did not know anything or understand anything about the patrol specials, and i have come to learn a lot about them, and there is a minimal of them out in the city. obviously the public wants the patrol specials or obviously they wouldn't be employed or have complinets. my commitment is i have met with most of the patrol specials in the room back in the hall of justice. my certain is i f as i told the news today, i concur with some of the recommendations in the report, but my concern is that

patrol specials are supposed to wear air certain kind of uniform, we need to be held accountable. we need to go back to the dwraug board and look at the rules and regular layings we are supposed to hold the patrol specials accountable for, and then there is account yadget and ramifications -- actability and ram fantastics. someone spoke of -- it labored on for many, month months. when the patrol specials are out there, they are ad heerpg to the rules and regulations set forth, and i think we can work with thesm now and in the future to sit down and have conversation such as the to the last lady eloquently said, we can take pieces of this report and look to better our position as the --

position. as the operational chief, i want to work with them. no one is going to discournt your willingness to do a -- no one is going to discount your willingness to do a good job. we also have to look at the rules and regulations and realize that what the police department is asking you to do can follow the rules and regulations. we will work closely with the patrol sperbles. -- specials. i don't think there is anyone out here that doesn't think you are doing the best job you can.

i and university just wanted you to know that. >> there are certainly benefits there, but i guess the rort, just give you the last word on this. i also listen today some videos and i also listened to some 911 calls. that isn't within the per view. so those are kenchs concerns. i want to ask you about jsh you mentioned the bias you have. i think it was a pretty thorough report. there are skierous issues we have to guss. and the last, i how do we enforce the commission rules? we have just had these blatant vie racial legislations and other then bringing them up on zphrorge if there is oots way -- actually the commission can enforce these rules on a daily basis.

that's the plob i have, is accountability. >> we do not assess the vat ewe. they are now providing a service that is utilized and can be utilized by the commission orp -- or the police department. under the correction direction and control of the police department. that is different than a private entity. >> certainly the police can at any time can enter groups.

this is something that is very good going on in the city. here in the city you call it n.e.r. t. on the east coast, we call it same, c.e.r. t. ergesy response team. -- neighborhood emergency response team. the issue about bias, i'm not sure i work -- i certainly do not work for the p.o. a. this was under the direction and control of the controllers office, and that's who we report to and work for in this study. so i appreciate you letting us make that pot point of plirks clarification. one of the other things under that bias and a notion that we didn't meet with community groups, we were working here i