SAN FRANCISCO—According to a press release from the Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Malia M. Cohen for the Police Commission on Tuesday, August 25.
Mayor Breed nominated Cohen, a current member of the State Board of Equalization, to become a member of the Police Commission in July. According to the Office of the Mayor, the Police Commission consists of seven-members, who set policies for the Police Department and “conduct disciplinary hearings when police conduct charges are filed.”
“Thank you @LondonBreed I appreciate the confidence you have instilled in me to serve on the Police Commission,” Cohen tweeted.
As a member of the SF Board of Supervisors, Cohen succeeded in banning the San Francisco Police Department’s use of choke holds. In 2016, she led the initiative to create the independent Department of Police Accountability, which included expanding powers to audit the police department and investigate all police shootings. She served as the Chair of the BOE in 2019, and has been serving for the BOE.
“I want to thank Mayor Breed and the Members of the Board of Supervisors who have placed their confidence in me,” said Cohen.
“As an African American woman who grew up in San Francisco—and who has the privilege of representing the residents of our City in elected service—I feel a great sense of responsibility. I look forward to working with Executive Director Paul Henderson and DPA staff, SFPD Chief William Scott, and the men and women of our Department, and community justice partners to make progress on the path of reform. I take to heart the recommendations of Mayor Breed in her roadmap for police reforms to fundamentally change the nature of policing in San Francisco, and to address systemic racism. As a Police Commissioner, I will join with my colleagues to ensure continual and transparent reviews of the policies and practices of the SFPD; and will always work to ensure that the voices from all of our communities—particularly persons of color—are heard.”
