Police Commission Vice President Damali Taylor is stepping down from her position, effective Dec. 31.
Taylor, a former prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and San Francisco District Attorney’s Office who has also worked as a defense attorney, was appointed to the commission in 2018 by Mayor London Breed at the same time as Bayview community organizer Dion-Jay Brookter.
She wrote to Breed to inform her of her decision to leave the commission on Dec. 21.
“When I joined the Commission in 2018, I had a goal of ensuring that we increase the number of DOJ reform measures completed,” Taylor said in a statement Monday. “We have made that progress (going from a dozen to 113 reform measures completed since I joined the commission).”
Taylor, who is currently acting as chair of the commission, said she was leaving because of work commitments and public service projects that require more of her attention.
“It’s just time,” Taylor said.
In her letter to Breed, Taylor praised Police Chief Bill Scott, who she called a “class act” and a “true champion of reform for the Department.” She noted that the department had achieved substantial compliance with only 40 of 272 U.S. Department of Justice reform recommendations as of March this year, but is now on track to achieve substantial compliance with 240 by Spring of 2021.
