After being an indispensible member of the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF)’s Criminal Justice Task Force for the past seven years, immersing himself in research on the use of force, racial bias in policing, the meet and confer process, as well as the pros and cons of tasers for SFPD, Kevin Benedicto has now taken his talents to the City’s Police Commission.
His term officially started on April 30. In early May, he was sworn in at a community ceremony at the Tahanan Supportive Housing Building in San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District with an outdoor celebration that included legal luminaries from across the Bay Area.
As one of the first Filipino Americans appointed to the Police Commission, Benedicto and his family felt an additional layer of pride in the occasion. He shared the ambitious goals he has for his term with the crowd. He has spent years working on criminal justice reform both in San Francisco and across the country.
“First, I want to be accessible and accountable to the community. I think for many SFPD officers and many in the community, the Police Commission is too remote and secluded, I want that to change. I want people in the community to feel safe and comfortable sharing their concerns and ideas with me and the Commission,” Benedicto said at the ceremony. “Rebuilding trust between the SFPD and the community is critical and that includes the Commission. Whether it’s community events, one-on-one meetings, ride alongs, or academy visits, I hope to be active and available as a Commissioner.”
Benedicto’s appointment came as the SFPD grappled with a host of ongoing challenges, including staffing shortages, turmoil over its use-of-force policies and racial disparities in traffic stops. He further explained his hopes for the future of the Commission and how he expects to encourage change.
“I want San Francisco to regain its momentum and leadership on police reform. I want to start off by rejecting the false premise that we have to choose between public safety and a progressive and reform-minded department,” he said. “Adopting progressive principles and best practices helps everyone. It can build trust and ensure that officers are prepared and best equipped to serve the community.” Since taking office, Benedicto has worked on the Commission’s efforts to end racially biased traffic.
A number of people spoke about Benedicto’s presence on a team or task force and how he approaches situations with care and compassion. Well known to be open to discussion of differing viewpoints and searching for more equitable solutions, Benedicto’s colleagues spoke of his contributions.
There is not a shred of divisiveness in this person. He is a great mentor and mentee, he seeks advice and listens. He collaborates at every turn and I can’t think of a more important quality to have in someone on the SF Police Commission. He can find common ground and practical solutions.
- Brian Rocca, partner at Morgan Lewis and Bockius
“Kevin became the de facto master of ceremonies for all events, whether for trivia in the afternoon or putting on a global webinar where clients from all of the world would sign on, Kevin is an amazing communicator,” explained Brian Rocca, a partner at Morgan Lewis and Bockius. “He is organized, thoughtful and genuine. People really listen to him and he listens to them. A really important skill that will be put to good use on the Commission.”
Rocca went on to illustrate why Benedicto was the right choice for the Commission appointment. “There is not a shred of divisiveness in this person. He is a great mentor and mentee, he seeks advice and listens. He collaborates at every turn and I can’t think of a more important quality to have in someone on the SF Police Commission. He can find common ground and practical solutions.”
Benedicto’s years with BASF have been productive, as he has served on the Barristers Club Board and various Barristers committees, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Pro Bono, and Wellness. His service has stretched beyond the Boards and Task Forces, too. He has worked on statements, letters and draft legislation on matters such as Senate Bill 2, a bill that increases accountability for law enforcement officers who commit serious misconduct and violate a person’s civil rights, and AB1452, Be the Jury, a bill establishing a Pilot Program in SF Superior Court to pay low to moderate income jurors $100 per day.
He has served on subcommittees on tasers in San Francisco, he was our representative to several police department working groups that were put together after the DOJ came in and gave recommendations on how to make things better, topics such as community policing, use of force and the bias working group.
- Yolanda Jackson, Executive Director and General Counsel of BASF
and its Justice & Diversity Center
Yolanda Jackson, Executive Director and General Counsel of BASF and its Justice & Diversity Center, spoke of his contributions to the Bar Association and the work of the Criminal Justice Task Force.
“Kevin was sworn in 2015 and he quickly joined the Bar Association in 2016. Then he joined our Criminal Justice Task Force that was created after the Michael Brown shooting. We decided lawyers have a unique role in this place of police reform. We know how to research and write better than any other profession and we put our skills to work,” Jackson explained to the crowd. “We have been going every month since 2015 and Kevin has been an incredibly hard worker ever since he stepped on to the Task Force. He has served on subcommittees on tasers in San Francisco, he was our representative to several police department working groups that were put together after the DOJ came in and gave recommendations on how to make things better, topics such as community policing, use of force and the bias working group.”
Benedicto has also served as the co-chair of the CJTF Bail Reform Subcommittee and a respected appointed member of the San Francisco Superior Court Elimination of Bias Committee. He has received BASF’s Award of Merit and the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area’s prestigious Joe Morozumi Award for Exceptional Legal Advocacy in recognition of his civil rights and racial justice work.
Benedicto was part of a team that revised the police department’s use-of-force policies in 2016, and served as pro bono counsel for the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability, and Fairness in Law Enforcement, a panel appointed to root out institutional bias in the police department after the 2015 public surfacing of racist and homophobic text messages among the police ranks.
PHOTO BY KATIE THYKEN
Since taking office, Benedicto has worked on the Commission’s efforts to end racially biased traffic stops in San Francisco, and is also leading efforts to revise SFPD’s policy on search warrants. He has also advocated for increased transparency on SFPD’s reform and policy revision process, and has been active in engaging and mobilizing the community in efforts to combat anti-AAPI violence.