24-180 Responding to San Francisco Unified School District Sites
Department Notice
This document is not an official representation of the published policy. To access the official signed policy, please contact us at [email protected].
In June of 2020, the San Francisco Unified School District elected not to renew the Memorandum of Understanding with the Department. As a result, the Department's School Resource Officer Program was disbanded.
Although no MOU currently exists, members are expected to respond to calls for service on school campuses reported by SFUSD officials and provide service.
When responding to a school on SFUSD property, the following protocol should be followed:
Officer Entry on School Campuses
Absent exigent circumstances, members should:
- Notify school officials (e.g., the principal, dean, or head counselor) of being on SFUSD property and/or their purpose for being on SFUSD property.
- When interviews are conducted with students, they should be conducted in a manner that causes the least possible disruption to the school process and gives the student appropriate privacy
Before the interview of a detained student (under 18), members shall:
- Ensure the youth consults in person, by telephone, or, if available, by video conference with the on-call juvenile attorney at the Public Defender's office at (415) 583-2773; this step cannot be waived.
- After the consultation, the youth is allowed to request a responsible adult be present during questioning; this step can be waived by the youth.
Notification to Responsible Adult
When a youth has been detained, arrested, or has been transported by a member, that member or their designee shall take immediate steps to notify the youth's responsible adult as soon as reasonably possible.
Arrests on School Campuses
In an effort to minimize disruption to the learning environment, members should consider the reasonableness of making an arrest on campus or summoning a student from a classroom. When considering whether it is reasonable to arrest or summon a student on campus, members shall consider the following criteria:
- Whether there is an imminent threat to public safety.
- The seriousness of the offense i.e., a violent felony or threat of violence that requires immediate intervention.
- Whether the summoning is in response solely to a violation of a school's code of conduct and, if so, whether a police response is warranted.
- Federal or state requirements.
- Whether the member can accomplish the arrest by other means.
If the arrest is not reasonable given the considerations listed above, the arrest or summons of the student should be made at another time/place.
Location of Arrest, Privacy of Student, and Considerations of Campus Climate
Absent exigent circumstances, members should coordinate with the principal or designee if, after considering the reasonableness of such an arrest as outlined in the previous section, they determine it is necessary to make an arrest on campus. To the extent possible, a private location out of sight and sound of other students shall be arranged for an arrest to help avoid invasion of the student's privacy, jeopardizing the safety and welfare of other students, and further disruption on the school campus.
Refer to attached SFUSO Guidelines
Any questions regarding this Department Notice should be addressed to the Department SFUSD liaison, OIC of Community Engagement Division (415) 575-6039.
/s/
WILLIAM SCOTT
Chief of Police
Per DN 23-152, all sworn & non-sworn members shall electronically acknowledge this Department document in PowerDMS within (30) thirty calendar days of issuance. Members whose duties are relevant to this document shall be held responsible for compliance. Any questions regarding this policy should be sent to [email protected] who will provide additional information.
