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San Francisco public defender asks PD to halt arrests over coronavirus

San Francisco Public Defender Manohar Raju has called for the city’s PD to halt arrests in non-violent cases in an attempt to battle the spread of coronavirus

By Police1 Staff

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Public Defender Manohar Raju has called for the city’s police department to halt arrests in non-violent cases in an attempt to battle the spread of coronavirus.

In a letter sent to the city’s police chief on Wednesday, Raju wrote that the PD should “reduce all unnecessary contact with the community” and stop citing or arresting people for infractions, low-level misdemeanors, and non-violent felonies, the SF Examiner reported.

“As we all follow recommendations to avoid congregating and preserving more personal distance than usual,” Raju wrote, according to the report. “We must be especially mindful to reduce criminal legal system contact to the greatest extent possible, while also upholding the duty to protect public safety.”

There are 23 cases of coronavirus in SF and over 150 in the Bay Area.

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