SFPD no longer polices traffic. They have offered various excuses for why, but the fact is, citations are down over 90% from 2014. Anyone who stands by a busy intersection in SF during rush hour will see dozens of violations. I have no interest in expanding the power of the police force if they cannot make progress on this issue. In fact, I would move to relieve them of traffic duty, if this is the kind of result they are getting.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/bayarea/heatherknight/article/sfpd-traffic-tickets-17355651.php" rel="nofollow">https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/bayarea/heatherknight/article...</a><p>[1] <a href="https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-traffic-citations-pedestrian-fatalities-sfpd-staffing-shortage-supervisor-rafael-mandelman/13840929/" rel="nofollow">https://abc7news.com/san-francisco-traffic-citations-pedestr...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://missionlocal.org/2024/02/sf-police-union-declares-impasse-pretext-stop/" rel="nofollow">https://missionlocal.org/2024/02/sf-police-union-declares-im...</a>
This measure has over $1 million is spending in favor of it, the most of any measure on the March ballot; several of the folks spending in favor of it are people in our industry (the CEO of Ripple has given $250k alone). Apparently, supporters have outspent opponents almost 10 to 1 (<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/22/london-breed-prop-e-san-francisco-police-fundraising/" rel="nofollow">https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/22/london-breed-prop-e-san-fr...</a>).<p>I hope the statements from the EFF and ACLU, which have both highlighted the negative privacy implications of the measure, help convince folks to vote no.
Facial recognition is not a substitute for the thousands of cops who quit in the wake of the Derick Chovin conviction. Say what you will about the merits of that prosecution, but the message cops themselves got was that if they actually do their job and arrest criminals, there is a chance that a politicized mob could send them to prison for the rest of their lives. The effect that had on police moral has been devastating and criminals have taken full advantage.