Joint Response to Public Comment Pursuant to DGO 3.01.04(D)

DGO 6.13 Hate Crimes

July 8, 2025

SFPD Department General Order (DGO) 3.01 requires that all policies under development be posted publicly to provide members of the public thirty (30) business days to submit policy recommendations.

Pursuant to DGO 3.01.04 (D), the Department and the Department of Police Accountability (DPA) jointly prepare a public response, which shall be posted on the Department’s website, outlining the recommendations included and not included in the DGO draft submitted to the Police Commission.

Joint responses are captured in the following recommendation grid which captures the original recommendation, whether the recommendation was included or not included in the draft DGO, and the explanation relating to the decision to include or not include the recommendation into the draft DGO.

The Department reserves the right to remove or not respond to comments if they are:

  • Unrelated to the subject of the DGO
  • Include private personal information (whether the commenter’s or someone else’s), including home address, home or cell phone number, personal e-mail address, or personal identification.
  • Include profanity or obscene language.

The Department received 14 recommendations for DGO 6.13, Hate Crimes from the public and DPA had no comment on 2 of the responses and agreed with the Department on 12 of the responses. 

The Department and DPA extend gratitude to all who took the time to contribute recommendations to this policy.

DGO 6.13 Public Comment Joint Responses | Public Review Period: 10/01/24 - 11/14/24

  • R1

    Public Comment 
    Am not sure why is necessary for a supervisor to respond to all "Hate crime" incidents. For example, if there was graffiti with a derogatory term and absent any threat, why have a supervisor to respond to the scene. Seems waste of resources.

    Date Received 
    10/1/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation has been included in draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Department agrees with comment. The requirement to have a supervisor respond to all incidents has been removed.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R2

    Public Comment 
    It will create a burden to require supervisors to respond to every possible hate crime to direct responding Officers in their investigations. It amounts to unnecessary micromanagement by supervisors.

    Date Received 
    10/1/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation has been included in draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Please see response to R1

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R3

    Public Comment 
    The 6.13.02 paragraphs doesn't seem necessary as they are consistent with our mission statement and make lengthy general orders even longer. Why repeat things multiple general orders instead of including things in mission statement.

    Date Received 
    10/1/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation has been included in draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Department agrees with comment. The Department is committed to general orders remaining general in nature, when feasible. The Policy section has been revised to reduce redundancies.

    DPA Explanation
    DPA has no response

  • R4

    Public Comment 
    I am deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism in San Francisco, exemplified by the vandalism at Manny’s Café. We need urgent action to address this hate and protect our communities. Please prioritize efforts to combat this troubling trend.

    Date Received 
    10/9/24

    SFPD response 
    Administrative Question and Answer-not for inclusion in DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Thank you for the comment. The goal of this DGO is to provide direction and guidance for officers when responding to hate crimes and hate incidents.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R5

    Public Comment 
    Hate crimes of Antisemitism out of control Jewish businesses continually targeted. Antisemitic hate speech in Pro Palestinian marches.

    Date Received 
    11/6/24

    SFPD response 
    Administrative Question and Answer-not for inclusion in DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Hate crimes and hate incidents are both covered in this DGO.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R6

    Public Comment 
    Needs additional DGO language to ensure these materials are accessible for all victims, including victims with limited English proficiency

    Date Received 
    11/13/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    SFPD exceeds the language access standards set forth in Section 91.5 of the San Francisco Administrative Code by providing forms in the four required languages—English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog—along with Vietnamese and Russian as additional languages. The hate crime brochure is available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Armenian (Eastern), Cambodian, Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Tagalog, Telugu, Thai, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R7

    Public Comment 
    Recommend including community resources; would recommend the CA vs Hate line, which is a state-run resource hotline that was created by state law and managed by Cal Civil Right

    Date Received 
    11/13/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Victims are provided with a hate crime brochure that is authored by the California Department of Justice. The brochure includes resources as recommended by the California Department of Justice. The content of the brochure are not part of the DGO. Brochure can be found at https://oag.ca.gov/hatecrimes Additionally, the Special Investigations Division webpage offers up-to-date local and state resources, including contact numbers and direct links to the CA vs Hate website. Utilizing a webpage enables the department to make timely updates and ensures residents have easy access to important resources. https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/hate-crimes-special-investigations-division

    DPA Explanation
    DPA agree's w/ SFPD decision to place link to CA vs. Hate on the SID webpage to provide easy access and timely updates.

  • R8

    Public Comment 
    Resources should also include education around hate incidents and recourse other than hate crimes charges (e.g. civil rights violations) given that the threshold to be considered a “hate crime” is a high burden

    Date Received 
    11/13/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    The DGO outlines the responsibilities of the Community Engagement Division (CED) . CED provides victim assistance and referral services.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R9

    Public Comment 
    Victims need a clear point of contact with SFPD and what the duties of the officer, patrol supervisor and CED are so that they are not duplicative. Could be solved with clarity around intake and intra-department referrals within the DGO.

    Date Received 
    11/13/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will be modified and included in the draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Victims are provided with a follow-up form during initial contact with Officers. This form provides a point of contact for the victim. Based on the comment, Officer and Supervisor responsibilities will be clarified in the draft DGO.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R10

    Public Comment 
    Needs to include different recourse and resources for victims. Officers need to be trained on other forms of addressing hate incidents (i.e. incidents that would not meet the burden of proof as a hate crime) and what the appropriate referral is.

    Date Received 
    11/13/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    SFPD is a law enforcement agency that primarily addresses criminal incidents and as such may be limited on recourse and resource offerings during non-criminal incidents. While this recommendation will not be captured in the draft DGO, the city and county of SF continues to expand on vetted resources for visitors and residents.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R11

    Public Comment 
    Add CA vs Hate Resource Line to the resources officers provide to victims. Adopt the CA vs Hate handout into SFPD hate crime brochure or as a standalone option in its victim assistance process. CA vs Hate can connect someone to a civil rights agent.

    Date Received 
    11/14/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Victims are provided with a hate crime brochure that is authored by the California Department of Justice. The brochure includes resources as recommended by the California Department of Justice. The content of the brochure are not part of the DGO. Brochure can be found at https://oag.ca.gov/hatecrimes Additionally, the Special Investigations Division webpage offers up-to-date local and state resources, including contact numbers and direct links to the CA vs Hate website. Utilizing a webpage enables the department to make timely updates and ensures residents have easy access to important resources. https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/hate-crimes-special-investigations-division

    DPA Explanation
    DPA agree's w/ SFPD decision to place link to CA vs. Hate on the SID webpage to provide easy access and timely updates.

  • R12

    Public Comment 
    SFPD should adopt a public health approach to crime prevention, incorporating community-based strategies as prevention measures. SFPD often responds after an incident occurs, however, effective primary prevention requires identifying root causes

    Date Received 
    11/14/24

    SFPD response 
    Administrative Question and Answer-not for inclusion in DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    SFPD is committed to the six pillars of 21st century policing, one of which is community policing and crime reduction where the focus is working with the community to reduce crime, improve safety and build trust. 

    The pillars of public health relate to prevention, protection and promotion. These two industries (policing and public health) have separate but equally critical roles and as such will have different approaches to address their core responsibilities.

    DPA Explanation
    DPA has no response

  • R13

    Public Comment 
    Even if the incident is not classified as a hate crime, identify other community organizations that can support the affected individuals. For example, the Community Youth Center offers victim support services

    Date Received 
    11/14/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    Please see response to R10. 

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.

  • R14

    Public Comment 
    Adopt a "no wrong door" approach to government, meaning that when community members seek help from any government agency, including SFPD, they receive support regardless of whether the person identified the appropriate government “door” or department

    Date Received 
    11/14/24

    SFPD response 
    Recommendation will not be included in Draft DGO

    SFPD Explanation 
    The commenter's request is beyond the scope of this specific DGO. SFPD is committed to providing assistance and resources to community members seeking police services. However, the department operates within the scope of its law enforcement mandate making a “no wrong door” approach challenging without formal agreements with other city agencies or community organizations. City agencies have distinct roles, responsibilities, and areas of expertise, ensuring that community members receive appropriate services from the entity best suited to address their needs. While SFPD will continue to facilitate connections to relevant agencies when necessary, the department cannot assume responsibility for providing support outside of its jurisdiction or by redirecting requests beyond its operational capacity.

    DPA Explanation
    Agree w/ SFPD response.