George Gascon

Apple to Release iPhone That Will Make Your Phone Less Appealing to Crooks

Apple, always thinking of the average geek, has announced it's going to make it a little bit harder for "Apple-pickers" to enjoy your stolen iPhone. Among the many cool-as-shit things Apple highlighted yesterday at the Worldwide Developers Conference, was the "kill-switch" for iPhones that'll be re ... More >>

Next Two Generations of iPhones Already Developed, and DA George Gascón Is Bummed

Yesterday, Examiner crime reporter Mike Aldax got the gadget news of the day during an interview with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón. According to the paper, the Cupertino tech giant Apple Inc. has no intent to implement a "kill-switch" that would disable devices that are report ... More >>

Low-Level Marijuana Offenders Still Busted By SFPD Even Though They're Not Supposed to

They say the best journalism produces outrage, not awareness. Medical cannabis and marijuana legalization advocates are sometimes easily annoyed, but last week's Bay Citizen report of an uptick in undercover marijuana buy-busts in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood had them apoplectic. There's a r ... More >>

DA Hopes New Campaign Will Make Drivers and Pedestrians Not Hate Each Other

We all know that San Francisco drivers and pedestrians understand each other about as well as Republicans and Democrats traversing this fiscal cliff. But it's the holidays, and District Attorney George Gascón is waxing optimistic. The DA today launched a new traffic safety campaign, hoping, at th ... More >>

Abraham Taylor, Local Dog Walker, Goes to Jail for Starving Pups

This is one sad animal story with a happy ending. The San Francisco's District Attorney's Office announced today that a local dog walker charged with abusing animals is now behind bars -- and the pups he mistreated are happy and eating regularly again.According to District Attorney George Gascón, 3 ... More >>

James Rickleffs, Accused of Killing Eriq Escalon, To Be Charged With Murder and Burglary

James Rickleffs, 45, will be charged with one count of premeditated murder and one count of first degree residential robbery, District Attorney George Gascón announced today. Police this week arrested him on suspicion of gagging, murdering, and robbing local hairdresser Eriq Escalon, 28, whose dec ... More >>

More Victims Duped by Weird Asian Ghost Scam

Earlier this summer, police arrested three women who they believe are responsible for scamming older, Asian women out of money and jewelry by convincing them they had evil spirits attached to them. But those arrests haven't done much to stop these bizarre ghost scams plaguing the San Francisco Asian ... More >>

Keith Wilson, S.F. Real Estate Scammer, Goes to State Prison for His Illegal Shopping Spree

This San Francisco man will spend the next five years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to duping investors out of $347,000 -- money which he spent all on himself. According to District Attorney George Gascón, 56-year-old Keith Wilson created two corporations called "Tribecca" and "Lone Cedar ... More >>

Irving Morales-Sanchez Charged With Stealing Bikes and Selling Them on Craigslist

A San Francisco teen was slapped with 20 felony charges for allegedly stealing more than 100 bikes and selling them on Craigslist and at Oakland flea markets. The District Attorney's Office says that 18-year-old Irving Morales-Sanchez appeared in court today, where he pleaded not guilty to the charg ... More >>

Chris Bucchere, Cyclist Accused of Killing Sutchi Hui, Gets Hit With Felony Manslaughter

Not surprisingly, the District Attorney's Office announced this morning that it will charge 36-year-old Chris Bucchere with felony vehicular manslaughter after he allegedly ran a red light in the Castro, hitting and killing 71-year-old Sutchi Hui.District Attorney George Gascón had already indicat ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Apologizes for "Arrogance and Anger Issues"

​It was a strange and imposing sight for unsuspecting passersby making a hard left out of the Hall of Justice's third floor elevator: A throng of reporters three rows deep blockading the corridor.Reporters and photographers aimed their gazes and lenses squarely on the elevator entrance-way, eagerl ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi May Have Scuttled Own Plea Deal with Comments to Press

​San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón raised the possibility that his office might back out of a plea deal in the domestic-violence case against Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi today, citing indications from Mirkarimi and his friends that he does not believe he is actually guilty of the misdemean ... More >>

Hate Expectations: Police and Prosecutors Are Quick to Claim the Presence of Racism — but Juries Are Not So Sure

Election Money -- Who Gave What in San Francisco

Invest, young man. Invest in politics! ​As of last night, San Francisco's election season is all over except for the shoutin' -- and recriminatin' and fulminatin' and tabulatin' who bought what. Assuming Mayor Ed Lee does pull it out, a number of observers will note he did so in spite of the actio ... More >>

Cop Who Called Gascón a 'Media Whore' in SF Weekly Gets Slap on the Wrist

The final fall-out. ​So it turns out that calling your boss a "media whore" in the San Francisco Police Department  doesn't get you suspended, but it does get you slapped on the wrist. Sassy. Sgt. Carl T. -- yes, that's his real name -- has received notice that he's gotten a disciplinary repr ... More >>

George Gascón and Dennis Herrera Share Consultants. Is That a Problem?

Trouble in motion...​We all know the query about who will watch the watchmen. But what about the watchmen's consultants? After Dennis Herrera's tubthumping that a full-blown investigation was required of alleged money-laundering after shuttle bus drivers claimed they were made to donate to Mayor E ... More >>

Read the DA's Appeal of Judge's Order Unsealing DNA Lab Memo

​As expected, the office of San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón on Monday filed an appeal of a judge's order that prosecutors share with defense lawyers an internal memo criticizing the San Francisco Police Department crime lab.The memo, authored by veteran prosecutor Rockne Harmon, a f ... More >>

DA Candidates Ramp Up Attacks on George Gascón over Efforts to Conceal DNA Lab Memo

Photo courtesy Sharmin Bock for District AttorneyBill Fazio, David Onek, and Sharmin Bock speak to reporters at City Hall​Candidates attempting to unseat District Attorney George Gascón in the November election held a press conference today in an effort to draw attention to Gascón's continued ef ... More >>

DA's Office to Appeal Judge's Order Unsealing DNA Lab Memo

George Gascón​Prosecutors in the office of District Attorney George Gascón have decided to appeal a judge's order that they release an internal memo detailing problems with DNA analysis in the San Francisco Police Department crime lab.The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Saturday that the DA' ... More >>

Judge Orders District Attorney George Gascón to Release Secret Crime Lab Memo

Rockne Harmon​A judge ordered prosecutors to release an internal memo criticizing DNA testing procedures at the San Francisco police crime lab today, an unexpected turn of events that could have serious political and legal ramifications for the SFPD and the office of District Attorney George Gascà ... More >>

DA Candidates Call for Release of Secret Crime Lab Memo, Citing SF Weekly Cover Story

​Contenders in this year's election for San Francisco District Attorney have called on current DA George Gascón to release an internal memo that criticizes procedures for analyzing DNA evidence at the San Francisco Police Department Crime Laboratory.The memo, the existence of which was first reve ... More >>

DA Candidates Ask Gascón to Recuse Himself from 'Run, Ed, Run' Investigation

DA George Gascón​Three challengers of interim District Attorney George Gascón in this year's DA's race are calling upon him to recuse himself from a potential investigation of criminal wrongdoing by the committee behind the campaign to draft Mayor Ed Lee to run for a full term.Last week, retired ... More >>

George Gascón's Losing Streak

Well, he never actually practiced law before being DA ​Update: DA's Office responds. Read after the jump.Original story: Since George Gascón took over as District Attorney earlier this year, more defendants have walked free.As we've noted before, Gascón wasn't appointed DA for his lawyerin' skil ... More >>

George Gascon Tries to Back Up Pro-Pot Claims by Dropping Charges on Grower

sfgov.orgWe know what we're doing​Yesterday, we told you the story of Wayne Kiloh, a 63-year-old Richmond District man who for seven years has grown medical cannabis in his Avenues home for the Green Cross, the city's lone licensed medical marijuana delivery service. After a July 2010 police raid ... More >>

George Gascon Flipflops on Medical Marijuana

Hate Crime Allegations Dismissed in Attack on S.F. Transgender Woman

This isn't exactly how the LGBT community imagined kicking off gay pride ​SF Weekly readers might recall the incident two months ago when two men were arrested after beating a transgender woman on the 16th Street BART plaza. Well, despite the public outcry over the incident -- which sparked a rall ... More >>

George Gascón Won't Seek Death Penalty for German Tourist Killing

San Francisco is rubbing off on him​District Attorney George Gascón might have reached a defining moment in his campaign for DA today after announcing he would not seek the death penalty for the high-profile killing of a German tourist last summer. It's a watershed moment, politically speaking, b ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee, Candidates Use Cesar Chavez Day as a Chance to Schmooze

We wish we were flies buzzing around them.​Politicos rolled out of bed early Thursday morning to make an appearance at the  8 a.m. Cesar Chavez Day breakfast in the Mission. They munched on $60 plates of eggs, frijoles, and tortillas to benefit the upcoming Cesar Chavez Parade & Festival ... More >>

DA's Office Can Prosecute Wheelchair-Bound Man Shot by Police, Judge Rules

​A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled today that District Attorney George Gascón does not have to recuse himself from prosecuting Randal Dunklin, the man shot by police in January while he was sitting in a wheelchair.Dunklin, whose case attracted heavy media attention after the shooting was ... More >>

Accused White Supremacists Charged with Beating Mexicans in S.F.

Welcome to San Francisco, gentlemen​Three alleged white supremacists appeared in a San Francisco courtroom this morning to answer to charges of attacking two Mexican nationals -- kicking one unconscious while yelling "White power."The accused attackers in this Tenderloin hate crime case -- includi ... More >>

District Attorney Throws Out 57 Cases After Henry Hotel Scandal, Cops Pissed

Gascón's former underlings are not so happy with his 57 case dismissals. ​So it looks like, in the annals of San Francisco law enforcement history, the Henry Hotel scandal will not rank anywhere near the Debbie Madden catastrophe in terms of the number of cases the district attorney had to throw ... More >>

Ammiano Bill: Growing Pot Would No Longer Be Automatic Felony

Turns out, you might not be considered a felon​Californians caught growing cannabis without a medical recommendation -- and indeed, some marijuana cultivators with medical recommendations -- are on their way to becoming felons. Law enforcement has no choice -- cultivation is a felony.Although that ... More >>

Funeral Director Charged with Robbing Clients Is on the Lam

Did this man steal your funeral?​Police are searching for Donald Rollins, one of two funeral home directors accused of stealing thousands of dollars from breathing victims while operating the now shuttered Funerals by Washington in the Bayview neighborhood. District Attorney George Gascón on Tues ... More >>

Bait Car Pays SFPD to Entice Drivers to Steal Cars

What Do Police Do With Massive Ford F-250 Pickup Trucks?

Are you gonna go my way?​Like many San Franciscans, your humble narrator has often wondered just what need the San Francisco Police Department has for massive pickup trucks of the sort one would expect to see in a North Dakota rock quarry or Toby Keith video. After noticing the truck in this snaps ... More >>

SFPD wants to recruit suburbocops from outside the city

SFPD Announces Arrests in Anti-Bike Rampage, Pearla Louis Suitcase Murder Cases

Lee Bell has been arrested for the 'suitcase murder' of Pearla Ann Louis​San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon announced this afternoon that suspects have been arrested in two serious police investigations: The case of a rampaging motorist who drove an SUV into four bicyclists on Wednesday nigh ... More >>

Cops Bid Adieu to Scandal-Plagued Drug Lab

Sorry, kids. The San Francisco Police Department is getting out of the drug business.​San Francisco Police employees will stop doing drugs, Chief George Gascon today announced. No, really. The department's drug lab -- site of a massive scandal involving narcotics-skimming tech Deborah Madden -- wi ... More >>

San Francisco's Marijuana Arrest Totals Getting Higher

Put out that joint, mister...​What's that smell in the air, wafting from bus stops, parks, and most any street corner? It's evidence of a cavalier attitude regarding open-air cannabis consumption: This is San Francisco, after all -- feel free to puff away freely. Or, maybe not. According to statis ... More >>

Why the police commission doesn't discipline bad cops

Yet Another San Francisco Vehicle Fire

www.lcpstc.org​The other day we wrote about how San Francisco was attempting to reclaim its mantle as The City That Knows How ... To Burn Cars from the East Bay. Well, the hits keep coming. Shortly before 1 a.m. this morning, police officers spotted a vehicle burning at Alemany and Naglee in the E ... More >>

Once a joke, SFPD is actually solving murders these days

Popular Tenderloin Police Commander to Step Down

Captain Gary Jimenez​San Francisco Police Captain Gary Jimenez, who oversees the crime-plagued Tenderloin district, has announced that he will step down next month as Tenderloin station commander. He will be replaced by Dominic Celaya, a former lieutenant at Mission police station, whose promotion ... More >>

Police Chief Gascon To VideoGate Cop: No Gun For You!

Officer Andrew Cohen -- seen here gracing the cover of his musical venture. No, really. ​Misunderstood filmmaker Officer Andrew Cohen had hoped to get off on the good foot with new Police Chief George Gascon. But his attempt is going down the crapper, and Gascon's statements in the Chron ... More >>

It's Your Friday Morning News Quiz!

¿Dónde está el jefe?​ Normally, a story about Gavin Newsom going to Mexico and "leaking" would be pretty vile. And, depending on your feelings about the mayor, both of these developments could be interpreted as very problematic ... but not in that way.In any event, it's Friday -- you made it. B ... More >>

Hello Holiday Inn: Mesa Cops Aiding SFPD Chief Gascon's Transition Scrimping on San Francisco-Paid Expenses

The SFPD's new model for tight-fistedness​The Arizona Republic Thursday ran an article reporting that new San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon is enlisting officers from his former post of Mesa, Ariz. to fly out west and help him get the San Francisco Police Department up and running to ... More >>

Friends Worry LAPD Overview of Hugues de La Plaza Case Will Reveal SFPD Bungling -- But No Murderer

Hugues de la Plaza​New San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon continues to prove that he certainly knows how to make a first impression (other than being spotted around town in baggy shorts and flip-flops). Yesterday, the Chronicle reported that Gascon's old boss, LAPD Chief William Bratton, has ... More >>

The Clogged Bus-Only Lane Theory of Policing: Cite More Motorists and the Rest of the Public Safety Picture Will Fall Into Place

Jim HerdHere's another way of keeping drivers out of bus lanes​In Mexico, a visitor will quickly get the sense that society isn't working quite right when she's asked for a bribe by police. In Saudi Arabia, the same conclusion becomes obvious when a woman is arrested for prostitution simply becaus ... More >>

New S.F. Police Chief's Decision to 'Prioritize' de La Plaza Case Comes as Surprise to Slain Frenchman's Family, Friends -- No One Told Them

Hugues de la Plaza​The San Francisco Examiner last week reported that newly minted Police Chief George Gascon will be making time to personally look into a case that has spurred European mothers to urge their children to avoid vacationing in San Francisco and go someplace safe -- like the Middle E ... More >>