SFPD in the Tenderloin invested in community growth and development.
Residents and merchants remain optimistic about status of community as new captain comes forward to address community concerns, with a personal touch.
Shots bellowed through the small community hall early Tuesday evening as the monthly meeting at the Tenderloin Police Department took its audience. Captain Carl Fabbri began the meeting heeding to requests to address community concern about citizens’ responses to mass shootings in light of the Valentine’s Day massacre at a Florida public high school.
The monthly community meeting held by the Tenderloin Police Department addressed these concerns with a video recorded dramatic reenactment of an office place shooting, in order to educate those in attendance on the proper protocol necessary in order to secure survival. The video jerked the attendees to the edges of their chairs, their hearts palpitated and their hands clamed as shots echoed from the projector. When the video finished, the scene had been set. Somehow, this meeting didn’t feel like the rest.
The room was filled to capacity with standing room only. Members continued to trickle in almost mid-way through the meeting, lining the walls for a chance to make their voice heard to the most influential member of the tight-knit Tenderloin community. Captain Fabbri stood front-and-center, surrounded by lieutenants for support, and addressed the crowd.
The video, produced by the City of Houston, aimed to provide a lasting impression on its audience, while leaving its message clear. “Run, Hide, Fight”, the name of the film and the underlying message being conveyed, detailed precisely how people should respond in the event of an active shooter. [1]
Following the alarming video, community leaders were ushered to address the audience at the front of the room to discuss programs, all aimed at alleviating crime, and field questions from the concerned community members. The first of those groups to present was led by Robin Kindler, the project manager for LEAD SF, and her team of outreach workers.
LEAD, which stands for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, is a harm reduction approach for “repeat, low-level drug offenders at high risk of recidivism, at the earliest contact with law enforcement to community-based health and social services as an alternative to jail and prosecution,” according to their mission statement.[2] The program is based off of the LEAD program in Seattle, which has seen impressive successes since its implementation.
The program began in San Francisco in October of 2017, and has already seen 50 referrals from the SFPD and BART police. The referrals are considered when the candidate is being arrested or when citations are being issued. This is considered to be the “pre-booking stage”. While the mere 50 referrals may seem meek considering the crime activity reported in the Tenderloin and Mission districts where it is offered, success is hard to measure. The program is completely voluntary, and because it reflects more of a case management style-aid, there is little-to-no “closure”, according to Captain Fabbri. [2]
Captain Fabbri closed the meeting by addressing the department’s crime fighting strategy. While there remains a hyper-focus on specific blocks, and while the department is concerned about crime in general, with the amount of it that occurs within the neighborhood, it’s nearly impossible for the captain to be concerned with that occurs outside of his jurisdiction. Overall, while the department saw a significant reduction in aggravated assaults and robberies, down 7% and 30% respectively from this time last year, there was an alarming increase in auto burglaries according to data obtained from last year’s CompStat report. [3] Ultimately, “you can’t arrest yourself out of the problem”, according to Fabbri. Many of the petty crimes are not arrest-able offenses, and the most the department can do is issue citations, which are often discarded or issued to transients who lack documentation. [2]
While the remainder of the presenters and lieutenants were dismissed, Captain Fabbri lingered to make deliberate contact with the familiar and the fresh faces that he encountered in the audience, and who were bold enough to shake the hand of one of the most powerful figures in the Tenderloin. Captain Fabbri designated significant attention to each participant, locking in and attentively providing undivided attention to each members concerns and comments. While the intensity and horror that began the meeting may have had members on their toes, the warmth, humility, and personable demeanor of their leader left attendees at ease as they all shuffled out of the doors, hopeful for the future of the programs that were presented to aid their community.