SFPD Station Newsletters Key Resource amid COVID
As the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) looks to observe social distancing guidelines during the pandemic, one significant change has been the cancellation of many district stations’ community meetings. Amid this new reality, stations’ weekly newsletters are emerging as an ever-important resource for community members to stay connected to their local police.
Taking a look back at pre-COVID practices, each SFPD station would hold its community meeting one time per month in its police district. While meeting locations would vary from station-to-station, they would typically be scheduled in the early evening on a consistent day and time of the month at each police station. SFPD community meetings would usually be run by each individual station’s captain and an assigned SF SAFE team member would also attend.
Why are the SFPD community meetings so important? The meetings offer residents a chance to hear directly from their local station leadership about crime trends, police activities and relevant news, as well as an opportunity to discuss issues that matter most to them.
With the onset of COVID, the SFPD’s community meeting game plan has changed as gatherings pose potential health risks. Add to that the fact that the pandemic is keeping the SFPD busier than ever these days. As a result, many of these meetings have been cancelled.
Which brings us to why signing up for your local SFPD station newsletter is so important now more than ever.
In a nutshell, community members can access much of the same valuable info found during an SFPD meeting in their station’s weekly newsletter. Each police district issues a weekly newsletter with a letter from the station captain, specific crime stats and trends for the week, SFPD and station news, officer highlights, SF SAFE safety tips and other safety-centric info directly pertinent to the neighborhoods surrounding the station. Those wanting to weigh in on specific issues can email their station.
Ultimately, signing up for your local police station’s newsletter helps keep you connected to what’s happening in your community so that you can stay informed during these unprecedented times.
Not sure which SFPD police district you live in? Click here to find your local station. Below follows a list of the SFPD stations with links to their web pages. Once you determine your station, scroll down to the bottom of the page to the large yellow box to sign up for their newsletter.
-Kathy Chouteau