San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto wants to crack down on open-air drug dealing and drug use in the Tenderloin neighborhood by deploying an emergency services unit in the area, he announced Thursday.
For six months, 130 deputies specialized in handling cases with "destructive or criminal behavior" will be deployed in the Tenderloin, Civic Center and South of Market neighborhoods starting in late June to "disrupt the cycle of self-harm," the Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies will work as a mobile, mutual aid unit for the San Francisco Police Department and other law enforcement agencies to help make arrests and reduce emergency response times in the city.
The Sheriff's Office will also make more frequent checks on the 100-plus people residing in the Tenderloin neighborhood who were released from jail or sentenced to electric monitoring.
Miyamoto said resolving the city's worsening fentanyl crisis will require a "head-on, tough love approach" by arresting dealers, guiding those with drug addictions to proper programs and making law enforcement presence known in the area.
He said that without the threat of jail time, many people will not be compelled to join addiction programs that the city provides.
"The sad truth of drug addiction is that individuals rarely want to get the help they need until they hit rock bottom, which for many involved in this crisis, is incarceration," Miyamoto said. "Those suffering from drug addiction are slowly dying on our streets because they have no reason to get clean and drug dealers are profiting off their pain."
Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who represents the Tenderloin, said that the city needs to make it known that it will no longer tolerate the harm caused by open-air drug scenes, and that's why he is drawing support for more enforcement in the area.
"Together, we will create an environment where families can feel safe, where children can thrive, and where our city can flourish once again," Dorsey said.
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San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said his officers will intervene in drug dealing and instances where people are "blatantly using drugs and creating a danger for themselves or others."
"We have to change what is happening on our streets," said Scott. "The fentanyl crisis is destroying lives, affecting businesses and creating a poor quality of life for everyone living where drugs are being sold and used."
San Francisco and state law enforcement including the CHP have already joined the city's enforcement efforts.
“Part of the solution is making sure that we have enough law enforcement on the ground in the Tenderloin, South of Market and Civic Center area. To make sure that drug dealers understand that their behavior will not tolerated any longer in this city,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
The public defender’s office, who has been critical of the crackdown also released a statement Thursday and said in part:
“Arresting street-level sellers and substance users does nothing to end the supply or demand of drugs, and incarceration actually increases the likelihood of overdoses."
Bay City News contributed to the report.
