Sponsored link
Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Sponsored link

Questions loom as Police Commission President Suzy Loftus steps down

Activists say new commission member should be a defense lawyer, not a prosecutor

On Tuesday, Suzy Loftus announced that she was stepping down from her position as President of the Police Commission to take up a job at the Sheriff’s department. Wednesday was her last Police Commission meeting. 

Loftus previously worked in the Attorney General’s office and will now be taking up the new role as the Sheriff Department’s assistant chief legal counsel. 

Loftus was at odds with the notorious Police Officer’s Association over the use of force policy reform served the board for two years. She saw the commission through a federal review, dozens of protests calling for the ouster of former police Chief Suhr, the selection of the new police Chief William Scott and the battle against the POA on the police department’s use of force policy. 

Mayor Ed Lee will now have to appoint a new member of the Police Commission to fill her seat. 

Former ACLU police watchdog John Crew said that even though he often criticized Loftus he believed she was genuine about reform: “I never doubted for once that she wasn’t genuine about her commitment to reform. We may have disagreed on the process but Loftus was always on board with 21st century policing and genuinely pushed for reforms.” Crew said the appointment of the new member would be critical to police reform: “We need someone who is on board with reforms, who believes in 21st century policy and who is able to stand their ground against the antics of the POA.” 

Crew said the POA has made police reform work even more difficult: “They have built a narrative where talking about reform is somehow seen as cop bating, they have drawn the lines and they seem to be standing with Trump’s standard of policing which has no place in the city.” 

Crew suggested that with Loftis gone there’s an opportunity to bring balance: “The Police commission is dominated with people who have background as prosecutors so it would be good to get a defense lawyer on board. If it is somebody with a criminal justice background it should be a criminal defense lawyer as they tend to look at the issues in a very different way.”

 

 

 

Sana Saleem
Sana Saleem
Sana Saleem is a writer with a focus on social justice and human stories. She's member board of advisory for the Courage Foundation, Edward Snowden's legal defense fund.

48 Hills welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor, which you can submit here. We also invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Sponsored link

Sponsored link
Sponsored link

Latest

Wiener-Newsom CEQA ‘reform’ is a dangerous fraud

Lithium battery factories without environmental review. Miami Beach development along the coast. And it's not going to make housing more affordable

Good Taste: Legendary House of Nanking releases first cookbook

Kathy and Peter Fang share the secrets of their family’s celebrated, 37-year-old Chinatown restaurant.

See a show for free at the awesome Lost Church this month

From indie and Americana concerts to sketch comedy and performance art, there's something for everyone. But act fast!

Trump wants to censor US history at national parks

The truth about Tule Lake, Alcatraz, Sutro Baths and hundreds of other sites could be erased under an executive order

You might also likeRELATED