|
Contact
Us
|
|
|
|
Information:
|
(415)554-7225 |
| |
|
|
CONGRATULATIONS
RETIREES
Undersheriff
Ellen Brin - 28
Years
Deputy
Sherifff
Robert Rose - 30
Years
David Lara - 28
Years
Wilton Wong - 25
Years
Gerald Barbieri - 25
Years
Patti Flynn - 23
Years
Institutional Police
Officer
Luis Rivas - 31
Years
Karl Griffin - 20
Years
Public Information
Officer
Susan Fahey - 15
Years
|
|
Contributing Writers
Captain
Ferrigno
Captain
Paulson
Sergeant
O'Shea
Sergeant
Winters
Melvyn
C. Jarrett II, JD
Vivian
Imperiale
|
|
©
2014
San
Francisco
Sheriff's
Department
| | |
A
Message from
Sheriff
Ross
Mirkarimi
In
May and June we honor mothers, fathers and
veterans, remembering those who gave, and
offering support in their time of need. Despite
the particular circumstances and choices that
brought parents and soldiers to jail, they
deserve recognition for their contributions. By
definition incarceration is an isolating place,
but eventually that isolation ends and these
individuals will need to reintegrate into their
families and communities. Maintaining
family and community connections are crucial to
successful reentry. In furtherance of this
objective, we renegotiated our contract for inmate telephone service to
significantly reduce the cost of those calls for
inmates and their families. Nationwide, these
contracts were structured to provide commissions
to the jails to pay for services. But this
perverse incentive is counter productive to our
goal of maintaining family ties, and an
unconscionable exploitation of a literally
captive group.
Maintaining
family connections is also important to staff
members, and many participated in the annual
Take Your Child to Work Day on April 24th at the
San Bruno complex. The children participated
in some routine activities, and attended a first
aid class where they learned basic first aid
skills and how to respond to emergency
situations. We may see some of these children
in our academy classes in the
future!
While we honor our veterans on
Memorial Day, the work of our C.O.V.E.R.
program continues throughout the year. Reentry
into families and community after time in the
military and on the battlefield can be just as
difficult as reentry from incarceration. Many
vets return to find meaningful employment
elusive, changed families, and little
understanding of the stresses they faced trying
to survive in a hostile environment. When post
traumatic stress syndrome and lasting physical
injuries are added to the mix, our veterans can
get caught up in the criminal justice system.
We must honor their service by providing the
services they need to transition to successful
civilian life.
I hope everyone will join
us at the Giants game on July 29, for the 11th
annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Night. The
proceeds benefit the California Peace Officer's
Memorial and the Bay Area Law Enforcement
Assistance Fund.
 Happy
Pride weekend!
We
look forward to the events and festivities of
Pride. Please come join us at the parade or
visit us at our
booth! |
Buy
Tickets to Giants' Law Enforcement Appreciation
Night
The Bay Area
Law Enforcement Assistance Fund, BALEAF, has
been assisting members of the Bay Area law
enforcement community and their families for
over fifteen years. In that time, they have
provided support and resources in time of death,
serious injury, or catastrophic events. San
Francisco Sheriff's Department members and their
families have been included in this
support.
 On Tuesday,
July 29, 2014, the San Francisco Giants will
host the 11th annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Night
at AT&T Park. There will be a pre-game
home plate memorial tribute to California Peace
Officers who have died in the line of duty with
a flyover by law enforcement air units. The
Giants will offer a souvenir giveaway and there
will be a hosted tailgate party at the Mariposa
Yacht Club beginning at 3 pm.
Proceeds
from ticket sales benefit the California Peace
Officer's Memorial and the Bay Area Law
Enforcement Assistance Fund. Tickets are available online.
You can also contact the Giants directly if you
have a group of 25 or larger. Make sure you let
them know you are part of the Law Enforcement
Group. Phone (415) 972-2298 to order.
Senior
Deputy Fabian Brown and Sergeant Matt O'Shea are
on the board of directors of BALEAF. If you
have any questions, please feel free to contact
them. They would also encourage you to consider
BALEAF when filling out your Combined Charities
form. BALEAF has been there for us, let's be
there for
them. |
|
Memorial
Day Observance in the Veterans' Housing Unit at
County Jail 5
Department
staff of the C.O.V.E.R. pod (Community
of Veterans Engaged in
Restoration)
at County Jail #5 in San Bruno conducted a
meaningful event that recognized service to
country by members of the armed forces, both
those who died and those who survived. The
highlight of the ceremony was attendance by the
Sheriff, Undersheriff, and Assistant Sheriff.
Additionally noteworthy was the attendance by
retired military personnel now representing Fort
Miley, the Veteran Affairs Commission, Amvets,
the Lions Club, the American Legion, and the
literary/artist communities. In accord, the
Sheriff and his top two commanders emphasized
how the criminal justice community and SF
community at-large were pleased to honor
incarcerated vets and partner with the Veterans
Administration related agencies in meeting the
re-entry needs of veterans in
custody.
Sheriff
Mirkarimi reflected on his time in the U.S. Navy
and how the experience and skills developed gave
him insight and inspiration for his career in
public service. He expressed hope that the
prisoners will likewise be able to capitalize on
their pride and assets from military service to
make a difference in the lives of their families
and fellow citizens. On a larger scale, the
Sheriff was optimistic that the nation and its
leaders will learn from the current VA benefit
and health service challenges to make the VA a
model of government efficiency, and that
veterans deserve no less than that for their
sacrifices.
Undersheriff
Rocha deeply expressed in his address how his
time in combat for the U.S. Army during the
Vietnam War gave him a life-long bond and
fraternity with fellow soldiers like no other.
He also indicated he has carried this commitment
to achieve, and passion to help others in
general, throughout his law enforcement career
from administrative and field posts to
community policing. The Undersheriff has been
deeply in touch with the struggles of returning
veterans as a very special class deserving
attention and protection. He ended by saying
that the unique in-custody C.O.V.E.R. project
was one of the primary reasons he accepted the
appointment of Undersheriff, and that he will
strive to assist his fellow brothers and sisters
who fell upon hard times and got arrested.
Assistant
Sheriff Miyamoto pleasingly reflected on his
past assignment as the Captain and Facility
Commander of County Jail 5 where he helped
preside over the launching of the nation's first
correctional housing unit for veterans. He spoke
with pride and fond memories of how the
C.O.V.E.R. pod was the most organized and least
stressful housing unit he had managed in his
career. The Assistant Sheriff attributed the
relative calm to the unit as being borne of the
discipline and esteem of military service, and
believes that those past achievements combined
with the social services aspect of the Sheriff's
Department will lessen the chances of returning
to custody upon release.
In
sum, Sheriff Mirkarimi pointed out how the
department will continue its commitment to
veterans and be a long lasting beacon to law
enforcement in this regard because it is one of
the Sheriff's Department in the country where
its top two officials are
veterans!
|
|
We Remember
Mama (and All the
Nurturers)
On
May 8, 2014, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi sponsored
the Department's first Nurturers' Day
celebration at the Women's Resource
Center (WRC) at 930 Bryant Street.
The theme for the event was "Beyond Mothers:
Honoring All Those Who Encourage the Next
Generation." Reflecting
the adage "it takes a village to raise a child,"
staff from SFSD and partner agencies highlighted
traditional aspects of Mother's Day and modified
them for an inclusive celebration of all
nurturers. With many incarcerated adults being
parents, it is important to acknowledge the
broad community of caregivers who nurture
children during these periods of separation.
According
to WRC Director/Program Coordinator Aida McCray,
the event provided a "snapshot of the
collaborative attitude that the WRC has been
able to support, maintain and nurture." As
such, it was attended by volunteers, staff and
clients representing a number of community-based
agencies that provide services at the WRC.
These agencies include SAGE, HealthRIGHT360 and Five Keys
Charter School, to name a few. Other
WRC-partner agencies participated in the program
such as Community Works (CW), an
organization that provides case management and
expressive arts classes at the WRC. CW
showcased their upcoming community theater
presentation "Holla, Can You Feel Me?" with a
brief preview. The original show was written
and performed by formerly incarcerated clients
of Community Programs. WRC's
Nurturers' Day also included a healthy meal,
gift bags for clients and a chance to
acknowledge appreciation, thus reflecting the
SFSD's commitment to addressing the impact that
incarceration has on families and communities,
both in terms of humanity as well as public
safety. Many thanks go out to all who helped
make the event a success!
A
concurrent celebration was held at CJ#2 for the
incarcerated women.
|
|
Distracted
Driver Campaign
The
San Francisco Sheriff's Department participated
in the statewide Distracted Driver campaign --
"It's Not Worth It" -- during April. Sheriff's
deputies engaged over 100 drivers who were
either distracted or committed other moving
violations in and around the S.F. General
Hospital campus.  In
2013, more than 36% of Californians surveyed
thought texting or talking on a cell phone while
driving posed the biggest safety problem on
California roadways. Nearly 70% of California
drivers surveyed said they had been hit or
nearly hit by a driver who was talking or
texting on a cell phone. In 2013, 45% of
Californians surveyed said they have made a
driving mistake while talking on a cell phone.
Approximately 70% of Californians surveyed
believed that using a hands-free cell phone is
safer than a hand-held phone while driving,
although research shows the risk is nearly the
same. Nearly 48% of those surveyed said that
texting while driving is the most serious
distraction for drivers.
In
2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were
injured in distraction-affected crashes.
Issuing
a citation is not generally seen by the public
as creating a safer environment for the good of
the community. However, the public safety
efforts of the deputies who took part in the
campaign should be commended as they included an
educational component with each stop. It may
not appear to the person receiving the citation
at the time, but it is the intent of the
citation to make the person change their unsafe
driving behavior and potentially save lives.
|
|
Take
your Child to Work Day
On
Thursday, April 24, 2014, the San Francisco
Sheriff's Department (SFSD) played host to over
35 children of SFSD employees at the San Bruno
Complex for the annual Take Your Child to Work
Day event. This year marks the 21st anniversary
of Take Your Child to Work Day. This year's
theme was "Plant a Seed, Grow a
Future."
Staff
from throughout the sheriff's department took
time out of their busy schedules to help ensure
the event was fun and safe for the children.
There was an educational connection to the event
as well.
The
children experienced bunk searches, sat in a
patrol car and played with the siren and
loudspeaker, and wore some of the safety
equipment a deputy wears at work. They watched
Sr. Dep. O'Neill do a K-9 demonstration. The
hit of the day was the horse provided by the
SFSD's Mounted Unit.
This
year we added a first aid practical where the
children learned basic skills and how to respond
in an emergency situation, such as calmly
calling 911. Some of the children even
challenged our First Aid instructors'
expertise!
The
children who attended the event came home with a
big bag of goodies. The received some SFSD
items, a small first aid kit and seeds.
Catherine Sneed of the Garden Project provided
the seeds, which falls in line with this year's
theme.
A
special thank you goes out to all the staff who
helped make this event possible, including the
financial support of the San
Francisco Deputy Sheriffs' Association and
the San
Francisco Managers and Supervisors
Association.
|
Local
Heroes Hockey
Tournament
 Special
Thanks to all who supported our Local Heroes Ice
Hockey Tournament at Yerba Buena Ice Center,
June 14th and 15th.
We had a great turnout this weekend from
sworn and civilian staff and it really helped
our Shooting Stars to have such a great rooting
section.
Ultimately, the SF Fire team won the
trophy, but we will do our best to get it back
next year.  | |
| |
