Kamala Harris Hasn't Made Friends With S.F. Cops - But That May Not Cost Her in the End

In many American towns, the debate over the merits of Chevy or Ford pickup trucks is no laughing matter. In a nerdier milieu — one less likely to cause a bar fight at least — Apple and PC partisans snipe at each other smarmily. And here in San Francisco, we have our own endless, tail-chasing rivalry: Who's screwing everything up? The police or District Attorney?

That there's truth to both sides' claims won't be received well by either camp, but here's the situation in brief: The District Attorney's office grumbles that the cops' lousy work makes it impossible to prosecute suspects. The cops, in turn, argue that District Attorney Kamala Harris, a striver and candidate for Attorney General, is loath to take difficult cases lest she blemish her political future with an embarrassing loss.

Whatever the case, Harris isn't getting rank-and-file cops' support in her run for statewide office. And she's betting she doesn't need it. Whether you think this influences her decision in cases such as the three suspects recently freed after a cop got a bullet in his face depends on whether you're a Chevy-Ford, Mac-PC, or Cop-DA person.