San Francisco police union declares impasse in bargaining over traffic stops policy
San Francisco's police union declared an impasse Friday in bargaining with the Police Commission over restrictions on the use of minor traffic violations as a pretext for investigating more serious offenses.
A change in the so-called "pretext stop" policy, adopted in 2023, affects its collective bargaining agreement, the San Francisco Police Officers Association argues, because it interferes with police officers' ability to perform their duties.
The union said the policy is unlawful because it dictates which state vehicle codes police officers can and can't enforce.
"We put forward a comprehensive policy proposal similar to other major police departments that discourages the practice of stopping vehicles for low-level traffic offenses, but the commission only seemed interested in imposing their policy," SFPOA President Tracy McCray said in a statement.
"We have a body of self-anointed experts who know nothing about police work, yet they author policy after policy preventing our officers from doing their jobs in a manner that will protect public safety. It's shameful."
A spokesperson for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office didn't respond to voicemail messages seeking comment after business hours on Friday.