The San Francisco Police Department is considering moving the Castro neighborhood from the boundaries of its Mission Station to Park Station. The proposal would put all of the LGBTQ neighborhood under the jurisdiction of one police precinct; it is now split between the Mission and Park stations.
The idea is one of 15 proposed changes to police station boundaries throughout the city.
"By making some adjustments to our station boundaries, our officers will be more efficient and effective as they continue to do a tremendous job policing San Francisco," Police Chief William Scott stated in a news release.
There are a number of opportunities for people to provide feedback, either by joining a focus group or at upcoming meetings in October.
There are 10 police districts in the city; the proposals affect the boundaries of eight of them.
Currently the Castro area is divided. Mission Station, the precinct of which is located at 630 Valencia Street, covers the Castro south of Market Street. Park Station, the precinct of which is located at 1899 Waller Street in Golden Gate Park, covers north of Market Street.
Evan Sernoffsky, director of strategic communications for the SFPD, told the B.A.R. September 17 that "the whole idea is we are improving police services to each district."
"I think the Castro is one of the most visible changes — obviously a very iconic and important neighborhood in San Francisco, so we want to be sure to make sure just like everywhere we are delivering the best service possible," he said in a phone interview. "My understanding is a lot of resources in the Mission are on the southern end and eastern end of the station boundaries, and we feel we can get resources to the Castro quicker and more efficiently from Park Station."
The proposal was made in consultation with people on the ground, as well as experts in the field, he added.
"We consulted all the district station captains and other subject matter experts for the analysis and we will be taking this to a variety of community meetings as well, but basically, we analyzed the resources for each station, streets that officers travel down to respond quickly, as quickly as possible, for priority calls for service," he stated.
Gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told the B.A.R. that "we are consulting with neighborhood stakeholders."
"We have built a strong relationship with Mission Station and work closely with the officers there on Castro public safety issues," he stated. "I want to make sure Park Station will be given the resources they'll need to maintain or improve on existing service levels."
Mission Station just got a new captain a few weeks ago, straight ally Liza Johansen, who told the B.A.R. that among her priorities are addressing the sex trade and dirt bikes on a recent walk-along in the Castro.
Greg Carey, a gay man who is chair of Castro Community on Patrol, a longtime volunteer safety group, stated to the B.A.R. that his board "has discussed the idea of moving the Castro neighborhood from the Mission to the Park SFPD precinct for over a year."
"The Mission District is very large and has one of the highest rates of serious service calls in the city. In addition to responding to major crimes in the Mission, officers are often pulled to assist other districts such as the Bayview or Ingleside with shootings or other investigations," he stated.
He is in support of the idea also because the current borders divide the neighborhood.
"We also feel a boundary adjustment would simplify the confusing coverage of Market Street," he stated. "Mission Station currently covers both sides of the street but as soon as an event moves north of the sidewalk (as is the case for the many events held on Noe Street) [Department of Emergency Management] dispatchers must often reassign a call that requires a response on the other side of the boundary. We understand that the Park precinct currently has a lower staffing level than Mission Station, but hope adjustments are made if the Castro is added to Park's coverage."
Terry Asten Bennett, a straight ally who's president of the Castro Merchants Association, can see the upside but said she has some concerns to be kept in mind.
"I think it could be advantageous for the business district to all be serviced out of one station," she stated to the B.A.R.. "My biggest concerns are around making sure that the Castro still has dedicated beat cops, that we have a direct relationship with the captain of the station and that historic information about events in the Castro and how they are handled are shared with the new station."
Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is the executive director of the Castro Community Benefit District, stated to the B.A.R. that the CBD "has not yet taken a position on the proposed change."
"There is certainly an advantage to the core Castro business district being in one police station rather than split between two stations as it is now," she stated, but she wants to make sure that the neighborhood still has cops walking the beat.
"Is Park Station going to staff up to cover the extra territory and also staff beat cops during the daytime hours as we have now?" she asked. "It is not clear at this point, but maintaining our beat cops is imperative. The CBD clean and safe teams depend on the Castro's beat cops to assist with a variety of quality of life and public safety issues. They are critical partners in maintaining the safety and security of the Castro."
She added, "The CBD already has a relationship with Park Station, and Captain [Jack] Hart is very supportive of the work we do in the community. If the change does move ahead as proposed, I certainly look forward to building closer relationships with the leadership at Park Station."
Also, it's "critical" Park Station officers "understand the rich history in the Castro of community celebrations, events, and protest," she added.
The Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association, which is currently served by the Park Station, didn't respond to a request for comment.
The SFPD release states that "the new boundaries aim to improve workload balance across the city, increase resources to high-need areas and enhance officers' ability to respond to calls for service more quickly. The changes affect eight districts with no changes proposed for Ingleside or Taraval stations."
The proposal was also made in light of the SFPD officer shortage, according to the release. SFPD is currently short about 400 sworn officers.
Other changes include moving the boundary of Tenderloin and Southern stations back to Market Street, and making Van Ness Avenue the boundary between Northern, Central, and Tenderloin stations.
People interested in providing feedback on the proposed changes can sign up for a focus group the week of September 23 (sign-ups end on the 20th) on the SFPD's website. There will be two public meetings on the subject — one virtually Tuesday, October 8, at 5:30 p.m. (people can sign up on the SFPD's website) and one in person at the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library main branch at 100 Larkin Street Tuesday, October 15, at 5:30 p.m. The proposal is expected to then be referred to the police commission. People interested can learn more at sfpdboundaryanalysis.com.
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