The San Francisco Police Commission on Friday could make a decision on whether or not to arm officers with stun guns.
San Francisco and Boston are the only two major American cities that don't allow officers the less lethal option of Tasers.
Leading up to Friday’s meeting, the San Francisco Police Officers Association has been airing radio ads pushing for the use of Tasers. On Thursday, police Chief Bill Scott penned and op-ed piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Not having the option of using a Taser creates a higher likelihood of prolonged hands-on physical force by police officers and a higher probability of increased resistance by a suspect,” he wrote.
In recent months, the commission has revised the department’s use of force policy with a focus on de-escalation. That came in the wake of protests surrounding the December 2015 death of Mario Woods, a man who was armed with a knife in the Bayview district and was shot and killed by San Francisco police officers.
The department also released a report Thursday on its use of force, which includes officers pointing their weapons to control suspects. It indicates that the overall use of force by fell by 32 percent between July and September this year compared to the same time period in 2016.
