Capt. Marsha Ashe: Police Beat

An extremely distraught gentleman called me. This normally lucid man was convinced he had just met a schizophrenic cop from Hell. The man did not argue about running a red light, but was very concerned about the officer's initial behavior during the traffic stop.

I explained a bit about the reasons we are trained to make certain approaches under certain conditions and a little about officer safety concerns on even a low-profile stop. The man thought about this for a moment and then commented that it seemed to make sense, because after the officer confirmed some information from the citizen, he seemed to "relax." I suspect the officer didn't really relax all that much - traffic stops remain one of the most hazardous activities in police work - but simply transitioned from a high-alert into a ready-alert.

The citizen called with legitimate concerns about the way he perceived he was treated on a traffic stop. I think he left our conversation with a deeper understanding of law enforcement activity.

Another discussion with a citizen did not end as well.

What the man described to me was clearly unacceptable and did not reflect the normally high standards displayed by officers in the Richmond District. Furthermore, the behavior constituted several violations of our procedures and general orders.

I assisted the man in filing a formal complaint, which is one of the more odious but important aspects of police supervision. He suggested the complaint process should be included in a future article.

The topic of this month's column is larger, though, than how to file a complaint. As the first man's experience indicates, a lot of perception about an officer's conduct can be explained by the type of encounter it is, whether it is law enforcement or a community-service contact.

The second example of a person who called me is more baffling and disappointing.

It takes two years to educate and evaluate a San Francisco police officer before he or she is considered a trained, battle-ready officer.

Most of us who have survived the months of classroom training at the Police Academy and in the Field Training Program are very proud of the challenges met, learned from and overcome. But sometimes, in spite of all the training and pride, we can forget everything we ever learned in about 2.5 nanoseconds.

For the most part, these extremely rare lapses are borne of fatigue, frustration and occasionally fear. Good officers learn from these incidents and move forward. With time, we become less vulnerable to these all too human factors. But for a miniscule minority of officers, these occasions grow virus-like into a pattern of bad attitude and bad behavior.

I sincerely hope you never have the occasion to observe anything but the finest performance from officers in the Richmond District. In the rare event you have concerns or questions, please consider the following recommendations.

If you feel you need better or different services or are concerned about an immediate police problem, you should speak with the officer's supervisor. This puts the police sergeant clearly in the loop and provides a more immediate resolution. The sergeant may refer you to a lieutenant, to me or direct you into a more formal complaint process, depending on the nature of the incident.

General concerns or recommendations about particular services or policies should be directed to the watch lieutenant or to me directly. You may do this by calling the station or attending the monthly community meeting which takes place the third Tuesday of every month at the Richmond Station at 7 p.m.

The same holds true for complimenting an officer's performance. I receive an average of 30 letters a month commending an officer. These are always recorded in his or her personal record. It means a great deal to the officers when someone says "thank you."

The Office of Citizen Complaints is another formal avenue for complaints about particular officers. Although the vast majority of complaints received by the OCC are deemed proper conduct on the part of the officer, this agency is tasked with investigating misconduct. The OCC accepts complaints by telephone (597-7711) or by mail (480 Second St., Ste. 100, S.F., CA 94107).

Remember Aug. 6 is the first National Night Out for the Richmond District. I hope to see many of you at our safety presentation and barbeque at the mini-park on Seventh Avenue, between Geary Boulevard and Anza Street, at 6 p.m.

Capt. Marsha Ashe is the commanding officer at the Richmond District Police Station.