Related
As calls for national police reform grow, the San Francisco Police Officers Association is pushing ahead with its own list of proposals.
In doing so, one of groups' leaders acknowledges that this plan would mean more officers getting kicked off the force for good.
The SFPOA joined with the San Jose Police Officers Association and the Los Angeles Police Protective League last week in announcing the reform agenda as one unified group, taking out full-page ads in The Mercury News, Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.
Among their proposals - a national database of officers with serious misconduct.
"Hopefully, (we can) identify and weed out people that are not a good fit to become police officers," SFPOA President Tony Montoya said.
So, does this mean more officers who are fired will stay unemployed?
"I know it kind of goes against what unions are supposed to do, and that’s defend their members," Montoya said.
He believes those with gross misconduct on their personnel files aren’t likely a good fit anywhere.
"To say that we’re representing bad cops, we’re not necessarily representing the conduct, we’re representing their rights which are afforded to them," Montoya told KCBS Radio.
The reform agenda calls a national use-of-force standard and further deescalation training for officers. Critics claim many of these proposals have been tried before without success.