Leadership

Statement of Purpose

We, the members of the San Francisco Police Department, are committed to excellence in law enforcement and are dedicated to the people, traditions and diversity of our City. In order to protect life and property, prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime, we will provide service with understanding, response with compassion, performance with integrity and law enforcement with vision.

These values guide the operation of the Department and the conduct of its members. These are our fundamental beliefs from which our agency sets policy, delivers services and implements programs. Values set standards for our members in executing their public safety duties. These values guide our actions.

• Our Highest Priority is the Protection of Human Life. There is no more important priority to the San Francisco Department than protection of human life. This belief is reflected in every aspect of police conduct. Our highest priority will always be the protection of human life. In violent situations, we are committed in using all reasonable means to prevent injury to the public.
• We Believe that while Crime Prevention is our Principal Goal, We should Vigorously Pursue those who Commit Serious Crimes. The Department's primary focus must be crime prevention. However, when crimes do occur, the Department must react with vigorous law enforcement, moving aggressively toward arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator. Vigorous law enforcement is an important deterrent to serious crime.
• We Treat Members of the Public with Respect and Dignity. We Maintain the Highest Levels of Integrity and Professionalism in all Actions. We will treat all those we serve in a compassionate, sensitive, courteous and professional manner, regardless of sex, race, lifestyle or reason for police contact. The integrity of the Department must not be compromised. There can be no question or suspicion among the citizenry regarding Department ethics. Professionalism requires impeccable conduct, careful protection of all citizens' rights and the maintenance of high levels of accountability from all members of the Department.
• We Recognize that the Department Members are its Greatest Asset and Assume Responsibility to Treat Them Professionally and Support Their Professional Development. All Department members are entitled to respectful, fair and consistent treatment. In matters impacting member job satisfaction and effectiveness, we seek the input of our members and involve them in the decision-making process. The efforts of our members are the principal means by which the Department fulfills its mission and accomplishes its public service goals.
• We are committed to Solving Neighborhood Problems. We Care about the Quality of Life in the City's Neighborhoods and Believe that our Services Must Answer their Needs. The Department will provide a rapid and effective response to life threatening situations and other public safety emergencies. Yet, we must seek new ways to address the contemporary neighborhood problems of crime, fear of crime, disorder, and physical and social decay. We are committed to providing a highly visible presence in all the City's neighborhoods.
• We Maintain Open Communication with all the Communities We Serve. Their Input Helps to Determine Police Policies, Priorities and Strategies. The Department recognizes the need to collaborate with the public in order to reduce crime, disorder, fear and all those negative factors lessening the quality of life. We cannot effectively deal with these by ourselves. Through open communication, we strive to increase public understanding of law enforcement complexities, to ensure the certainty that Department priorities match community expectations, and to inform the public of the reasons for police actions.
• We Believe That Policing Strategies Must Preserve and Advance Democratic Values. The Law enforcement officer in a democratic country must be the living expression of the values and potentialities of democracy. Police officers must, as a matter of course, know and use the most effective techniques for enforcing the law and maintaining order. Moreover, they must perform their duties in a manner that helps to preserve and extend the precious values of a democratic society. Thus, police must respect and protect the rights of all citizens as guaranteed by the States Constitution. These rights include the right to move throughout the City without fear, the right to be free of harassment and discrimination and the right to speak and/or demonstrate one's opinion in a lawful and orderly way.
• We are Committed to Managing Our Resources in a Careful, Efficient and Effective Manner. The Management of a police department is very similar to the operation of a business with the ultimate objective being quality service delivery to clients with a minimum of costs. The police department must be managed so that there is a maximum return from the expenditure of each tax dollar appropriated. Issues such as employee productivity, fiscal accountability, planning and resource utilization will be carefully studied and systematically addressed.

The San Francisco Police Department Vision Statement

The San Francisco Police Department is committed to being a world-class police department and a leader among urban police departments by hiring and promoting talented officers and professional staff, employing the highest standards of performance, best practices in policing, and accountability, and reflecting the values of the world-class city it serves. San Francisco has an international reputation for its commitment to human values: compassion, fairness, diversity, human rights, and justice. These values must be at the forefront of the SFPD as it fulfills its public safety mission. The San Francisco Police Department strives to adhere to the highest standards and reflect the diversity of its community members. The people of our communities and members of the police Department must be united in their commitment to addressing crime, violence, and quality-of-life issues by engaging one another and all city agencies in problem-solving partnerships. Police strategies and tactics must be driven by accurate, timely and reliable information supplied by current and emerging technologies and supported by the Department's systematic engagement of all of San Francisco's diverse neighborhoods. The Police Department strives to maintain the trust of San Francisco community members by actively engaging with the neighborhood it serves. The Police Department seeks to make its policies and operations as open as possible. When there are complaints involving the police department, both the public and the police are best served by a system of accountability that is expeditious and fair to all involved. To make this vision a reality, the Police Department must reward the hard work, ingenuity, and resourcefulness demonstrated by its employees, and must offer state-of-the-art training, development and career opportunities for advancement and retention. This will ensure that employees see the Police Department as a lifelong career and strive to become the department's next generation of leaders.