Police commission recommends changes to new SDPD protest policy sandiegouniontribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sandiegouniontribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A police spokesman said department leaders were not available to discuss the policy. The San Diego Police Officers Association’s president said he is satisfied with it.
“It is essential because it carefully spells out our officers’ role in all types of First Amendment activity, from peaceful assemblies through full-out riots,” union leader Jack Schaeffer said. He added that the policy helps the public understand how police respond to demonstrations.
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The effort began with the now defunct Community Review Board on Police Practices, which researched policies in other cities and shared them with the Police Department to offer guidance. The policy is similar to one put in place by the Oakland Police Department.
SAN DIEGO
The San Diego Police Department has authorized its officers to not wear their name tags during protests if a department leader gives them the OK. Instead officers would wear a tag with an ID number on their uniforms.
Some community members say a number instead of a name will undermine transparency and make it difficult to hold officers accountable. The Police Department disagrees.
A police spokesman said the move a policy change was in response to instances in recent months across the country in which officers’ personal information was revealed during protests.
The department pointed to one instance in San Diego. During a small protest outside the department’s downtown headquarters on Sept. 10, a pair of officers, at the request of a protester, shared their names and ID numbers. Minutes later, the protester used a bullhorn to “yell out” the officers’ home addresses and salary information, according to police spokesman Lt. Shawn Takeuchi.