May 18, 2011

Family Violence Council:

Addressing Violence throughout the Lifespan

 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm

San Francisco Civil Court

400 McAllister St., Room 509

San Francisco, CA 94102

 

 

I.          Call to Order/Agenda Changes

Antonio Ramirez asked that a report on the Batterers Intervention Programs be added to the agenda. Judge Albers moved, Simin Samji seconded adoption of the agenda.

 

II.        Introductions

Council members and attendees introduced themselves.

 

A.        Announcements

Dr. Emily Murase welcomed Judge Ron Albers, the new designee of the San Francisco Superior Court to the Council.

 

 

III.       Approval of Minutes

Amendment to the minutes offered by Judge Ron Albers: P.3: change "commissioner" to "judicial officer."

Mary Twomey moved, Stephanie Simmons seconded adoption of the amended minutes.

 

IV.       Business

A.        Updates from agencies

1.         San Francisco Police Departments

Lt. Michelle Jean was introduced by Capt. Parra. Capt. Parra announced that Commander David Lazar has been reassigned and has been replaced by Commander Beale.

 

2.         Bus Campaign on Elder Abuse

Ms. Twomey highlighted a new multilingual bus ad campaign to raise awareness about elder abuse.

 

3.         Council Meeting Time

Ms. Upton proposed to extend the meeting time from 4:30 pm to 5 pm because recent meetings have felt very rushed towards the end of the agenda. It was also pointed out that the Council meeting schedule has changed from monthly to quarterly. Though a few members cited time conflicts, Council members generally expressed support. The Council agreed to try the new end time for the next 2 meetings (August and November).

 

4.         Maternal Depression Awareness for Parents and Guardians under Stress

Ms. Baxter reported that the Junior League has made maternal depression awareness a focus of its work. As part of marking May as Maternal Depression Awareness Month, the 24-hour TalkLine has been set up to receive these calls. The Child Abuse Prevention Council has been putting out materials and making referrals in support of this effort. Respite for new moms at risk for postpartum depression will be piloted in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

5.         Domestic Violence Homicide Cases

Ms. Upton provided an update on the Claire Joyce Tempongko domestic violence case. On March 30, the State Appellate Court overturned the 2nd degree murder conviction in this case, citing improper jury instructions. The case is pending possible review by the California Supreme Court. Ms. Upton also noted that, on Friday, there will be a vigil in memory of domestic violence victim Perla Lewis who was murdered last year. Her case will soon go to trial.

 

B.        Comprehensive Report on Family Violence in San Francisco

Ms. Twomey announced that the report has been placed on the agenda for the June 2 meeting of the Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee, 10:30 am, City Hall, Room 263. Council members are all invited to provide testimony at this important hearing.

 

The Council discussed ways in which the report is being used by the various agencies.

Akiko Takeshita of Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach stated that the report has been very helpful in creating a framework and context for family violence work, especially in terms of resource allocation. Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach has shared the report with the Asian Pacific Islander Elder Abuse Task Force, and has found the report useful in presentations.

Maria Bee of the District Attorney’s Office briefed the new District Attorney George Gascon on the report. Ms. Bee reported that the report has been distributed to family violence working groups.

 

Dr. Murase has been meeting with members of the Boards of Supervisors and distributing copies of the report. She pointed out that the report documents the fact that family violence is pervasive and, in particular, that domestic violence is the most reported interpersonal crime.

 

C.        2011 Council Work Plan

 

1.         JUSTIS Information Technology System

Newly appointed Chief Technology Office of the San Francisco Police Department Susan Giffin shared with the Council her presentation entitled SFPD Technology: Status and Proposed Roadmap. Before joining the Police Department 6 months ago, she had a career in private industry (Accenture, Wells Fargo, Cisco). Giffin is working toward increased technological efficiency at the San Francisco Police Department. She noted that much of the work is done manually, paper-based, without a comprehensive database to search fully for pertinent features of a suspect, for example. She stated that she is looking toward the development of measurable goals and objectives for San Francisco Police Department Technology. Ms. Giffin noted that the technology is currently available to look up single search terms, but she would like to be able to combine search terms and search the whole database. Ms. Giffin requested feedback regarding what is needed from other agencies

 

Capt. Parra stated that the sharing of information is also critical to police work, as crimes are still being solved through the manual exchange of information.

 

Dr. Murase expressed the desire of the Council to help Giffin succeed in her new role.

 

2.         Major Policy Reforms, San Francisco Police Department

Dr. Murase provided an overview of key new protocols introduced by the San Francisco Police Department, the result of many years of advocacy on the part of the community, and collaborative work among local agencies.

 

a.         New Police Codes for Elder Abuse, Child Abuse

b.         New Elder Abuse Inspectors

c.         New Stalking Unit

d.         U-Visa Protocol

 

Dr. Murase introduced Captain Parra, the new head of the Special Victims Division, which includes the Domestic Violence Response Unit, the Juvenile Division (child abuse, missing persons, youth services), and Sex Crimes. In response to a question from Ms. Twomey about police work on elder abuse, Capt. Parra explained that elder abuse work has been divided into physical abuse (addressed within Domestic Violence Response Unit) and financial abuse (addressed in the Financial Crimes Unit). Two dedicated inspectors, including Lt. Art Stellini, have been appointed to investigate elder abuse.

 

Inspector Flores acknowledged the work of Lt. Molly Pengle in advancing these reforms.

 

 

3.         Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families

Veronica Martinez of the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families provided an update on the effort to revise the City's Violence Prevention Plan. Information was collected in March and her agency is currently analyzing and reviewing information. She announced that she will be presenting a full update at the next meeting of the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council to be held at 2 pm, Tuesday, June 14 at the Juvenile Justice Center, 375 Woodside Avenue. Family Violence Council members are invited to attend.

 

4.         Other Updates

 

a.         Elder Abuse Forensic Center

In the interest of time, Ms. Twomey suggested people contact her directly for detailed information about the forensic center.

 

b.         Child Advocacy Center

Ms. Baxter announced that planning and development of the Center are in progress.

 

5.         Child Abuse Intervention Program

In response to the fact that our county is out of compliance with the state-mandated requirement of offering a 52-week program for child abusers, a committee of the Council has been meeting to develop such a program. A meeting has been scheduled for June 6 with Health Director Barbara Garcia to discuss a proposal to pilot a program.

 

6.         Budget

Ms. Upton reported that in response to possible budget cuts, community-based agencies organized a Mother's Day press conference, sponsored by Supervisors Avalos, Campos, and Mayor Lee. On a positive note, the Governor's May revision of the state budget includes the full allocation of $20.4M to domestic violence shelters state-wide.

 

 

D.        Adolescent Experience of Family Violence and Teen Dating Violence

 

Ilsa Bertolini and Laurie Vargas of the San Francisco School District gave a presentation on anti-violence programs and services within public schools. They described the key role of the School Resource Officers, mentoring programs, and community partnerships that fuel this work.

 

V. Public Comment

None.

 

VI.       Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m.