The California Highway Patrol has dispatched officers to increase “visibility and presence” at Mission District BART plazas during Dreamforce, Salesforce’s three-day long annual tech conference.
Mission Station Captain Sean Perdomo requested the officers help the San Francisco Police Department address street conditions in the Mission during the conference, he said, which draws tens of thousands of tech workers and others to San Francisco.
“We want to keep the area safe, particularly in the night-time hours, because there’s been community concerns,” he said.
Sergeant Andrew Barclay, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol’s Golden Gate Division, said officers were stationed at the plazas on Tuesday and Wednesday, and would be there again Thursday. He did not say how many officers were assigned to the task, but did say the number changes throughout the day.
They will be there all day, Barclay said, and can make arrests.
On Wednesday morning, Mission Local saw five California Highway Patrol officers at 24th and Mission streets: Two at the southwestern BART plaza, and three outside the McDonald’s at the southeastern corner.
“What’s good around here?” one officer asked this reporter. “I’m thinking for lunch.”
Police communications director Evan Sernoffsky confirmed that “CHP has been assisting with increased presence for drug enforcement and high-visibility patrol.”
This year, Dreamforce took place on the heels of comments from CEO Marc Benioff last week, saying he would support President Donald Trump sending the National Guard to San Francisco. Trump said Wednesday that he would “recommend” San Francisco be included in a future deployment.
In addition to CHP’s presence in the Mission District, California Highway Patrol officers accompanied agents with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency at Franklin and McAllister streets early on Wednesday morning, just past midnight.
Perdomo said he had no knowledge of that operation, and that it was not related to the request he made for the BART plazas.
Officer Mark Andrews, from the San Francisco Highway Patrol office, said he could not find any incidents or calls in the time frame at Franklin and McAllister streets, though video footage shows a CHP vehicle at the site.
In an email, the San Francisco Division of the Drugs Enforcement Agency said they could not comment until the government shutdown comes to an end. The FBI did not reply to a request for comment.
Interesting how officers are made to be available for situations like this but not ever for the citizens who live here and have”hell on their block and doorstep” everyday .
Fleet week gets covered with police as do other events but
Visit Lower Polk Street .
Visit the Tenderloin .
Visit other areas where the dealers and addicts continue to operate freely and openly 24/7.
City response there is that they are short staffed to date allow the crimes to go on everyday all day .
The residents business and taxpayers there get nothing .
What a joke .
Visit other troubled areas .
City never has enough law enforcement they say becausec of staffing shortages and never brings in outside help for those areas .
Normal day: We don’t have the resources for that.
Dreamforce Week: Is there anything else you need; just ask!!!
Right? WTF. When Billionaires want something it’s yes sir, right away sir?
I don’t want troops here, but I am glad to see the city FINALLY taking public safety concerns seriously.
Now if only we would deport the Honduran drug dealers like any other city in the US would.
DEA probably supplying the drugs most of the time and then when they need to clean up, they lock up the small time dealers and the big drug dealers make direct sales to the executives that come to the conventions who pay for clean drugs delivered to their hotel rooms.
Once Dreamforce is over, they’ll no longer be needed for “visibility and presence.”
Try to read better. This is a temporary action for PR purposes.
Your powder is all wet.