Justice and Courage
A Blueprint for San Francisco's Response to Domestic Violence
March 2002
Commission and Department on the Status of Women
"What happened to my daughter was a personal tragedy for our entire family. The system failed her. My daughter asked for protection and did not get it. My hope is that lessons can be learned and policies implemented that will prevent other people from enduring what happened to my daughter and my family."
Clara Tempongko, Mother of Claire Joyce Tempongko
This report is dedicated to Claire Joyce Tempongko and the countless victims of domestic violence: the survivors, partners, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, children, and friends who have lost loved ones to domestic violence.
This report honors the courage of survivors of domestic violence and provides a vision for justice and an end to violence.
Commission on the Status of Women Members | Department on the Status of Women Staff |
Carolene Marks, President Julie Burton | Rosario Navarrette, Interim Executive Director Cristina Ayalin, Assistant Holly Friel, Assistant Ann Lehman, Policy Analyst Susan Murphy, Executive Secretary Terence Peneda, Accountant Rebecca Rolfe, Policy Analyst Carol Sacco, Policy Analyst Winnie Xie, Program Administrator |
Mission Statement
The mission of the San Francisco Commission and Department on the Status of Women is to ensure the equal treatment of women and girls in San Francisco and foster their socioeconomic, political, and educational advancement through policies, legislation, and programs, focusing on women and girls in need.
Table of Contents
Letter from Dorka Keehn, Vice President, Commission on the Status of Women
Background and History of Domestic Violence Intervention Systems in San Francisco
Summary of the Murder of Claire Joyce Tempongko
The City and County of San Francisco's Response
Interagency Recommendations
San Francisco Police Department
Emergency Communications Department
District Attorney's Office
Adult Probation Department
San Francisco Superior Court - Criminal Division
San Francisco Superior Court - Family Division
San Francisco Sheriff's Department
Medical Examiner
Department of Human Services - Child Protective Services
Community-Based Services
Appendix
Reports
- San Francisco Deputy City Attorney Amy S. Ackerman, December 2001. Domestic Violence Investigation
- San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, 1991.
San Francisco’s Response To Domestic Violence: The Charan Investigation - San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, December 2000. "Executive Summary."
Violence Against Women and Girls in San Francisco: Meeting the Needs of Survivors - San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women,
May 2001. "Executive Summary." Public Hearing on Domestic Violence
Legislation
- San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Resolution No. 984-00: Supporting An Investigation Into San Francisco’s Response to Domestic Violence
- San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, March 2001.
Resolution: Creation of a Violence Against Women Oversight Committee
Written Correspondence
1. Rose Cassidy, May 2001, October 2001, November 2001
Supplemental Materials
1. San Francisco Police Department, February 2001. Crime Bulletin,
Wanted For Homicide: Tari Ramirez a.k.a. Tari Beltran
2. Ilene Lelchuk, May 2001. "Brown Proposes System To Track Domestic Abuse: S.F. Woman's Life Might Have Been Saved."
San Francisco Chronicle.