In order to combat open-air drug markets and theft, San Francisco’s new no-nonsense DA Brooke Jenkins wants to grant police access to private security cameras in residences and businesses.
Jenkins, who assumed office on Friday, wants to increase the current access that police forces have and give them access to the cameras so they can monitor the crimes in real-time, a sharp departure from her progressive predecessor Chesa Boudin.
It is a part of her comprehensive campaign to combat crime in the city, which she claims has devolved into anarchy in the name of criminal justice reform.
London Breed, the mayor, administered Jenkins’ oath of office last week. She has not yet entered the race for the position and will need to do so in November, probably against Boudin.
Currently, when there is a serious risk of physical harm or death, police departments are permitted access to the cameras.
Jenkins’ new regulations would allow them to watch the cameras and deal with the smaller crimes that are terrorizing the city.
“This policy, in my opinion, can help address the issue of open-air drug markets that support the trade in the lethal drug fentanyl.
Drug traffickers are ruining people’s lives and upsetting communities like the Tenderloin.
Jenkins wrote in a letter to the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, which was obtained by SFGate, that “mass organized retail theft, like we saw in Union Square last year, or targeted neighbourhood efforts, like we’ve seen in Chinatown, is another area where the proposed policy can help.”
The idea was first put forth by Mayor London Breed, who replaced Boudin with Jenkins following a disastrous year for crime in the city.
The ACLU and local legislators have previously denounced the idea, claiming it would be an overreach and invasion of people’s privacy.
According to how it is currently structured, the SFPD’s proposal would enable cops to watch people as they go about their daily lives while also requesting reams of recorded video and storing it for years.
It places no significant restrictions on how the SFPD may distribute this video content.
“So, in effect, local police may theoretically provide time-stamped material that has been accumulated to prosecutors from neighboring jurisdictions.”
The ACLU said that “immigrants, religious minorities, LGBTQ individuals, those seeking abortions, people of color, and any other group that is frequently the focus of state violence” are potential targets.
Jenkins has had to make a difficult decision twice since taking office.
On her first day of work last week, she gave her team the task of reviewing plea agreements that let offenders get away with little to no punishment.
She was sworn in right after the meeting. Employees described it as “icy” and “awful.”
After witnessing how Boudin’s woke policies exacerbated violence in the city, Jenkins rebelled against him and spearheaded efforts for a recall.
Since then, she has pledged to bring law back to San Francisco.
“Under my direction, the San Francisco District Attorney’s office will work assiduously every single day to restore law and order to our city and to make it once again the stunning metropolis we all know it to be and the well-known destination that everyone wants to visit,” she said.
I want to be clear: Making necessary and significant changes to our criminal justice system does not stop us from holding offenders accountable.
As a woman who is Black and Latina, I am fully aware of the injustices that our criminal justice system contains.
Accountability does not imply that we oppose reform, though.
Accountability and responsible reform are compatible with one another. She tweeted last week, “I promise to this city to strike a balance between the pursuit of justice and safety for all.”
Since 2014, Jenkins has served in the DA’s office. She and her partner, Daniel, are married and have three children.
Jenkins completed her undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a degree in political science and African American studies in 2003, and her law degree at the University of Chicago in 2006.
She progressed through the DA’s office’s homicide and sexual assault units.
When Boudin refused to contest an insanity plea in the case of a murder suspect, that was the last straw for her.
Jenkins handled the prosecution in the case; 29-year-old Daniel Gudino, who brutally murdered his own mother, was the murderer.
The coroner was unable to determine how she was killed because of how badly her body had been disfigured when she was discovered at home, naked and covered in blood.
The jury was split on whether or not he was legally sane, but they unanimously agreed that he had committed second-degree murder.
Daniel was placed in a psychiatric facility as opposed to being sent to prison after Boudin accepted an insanity plea.