SF DA Jenkins Blames County Courts Releasing Dealers Without A Trial For Worsening Fentanyl Situation In SF

At a Tenderloin public safety town hall meeting in San Francisco, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins blamed the San Francisco County court system for the city’s current fentanyl problem, saying that they release many suspected dealers without a trial, and fail to convict most who do have one.

In July of last year, Jenkins was announced as the replacement District Attorney for recently recalled DA Chesa Boudin, who was ousted over skyrocketing crime rates, massive criticism over many of his newly implemented policies, “decarceration” efforts which have led to most criminals not being prosecuted and repeat offenders getting released, ramped-up policies aimed at members of the San Francisco Police Department, and a worsening drug problem in the city. Within days of taking office, Jenkins became a polarizing figure, with many liberals upset at her for reversing many of Boudin’s ‘progressive’ policies and others in the city happy that something was finally being done about crime.

In addition to reversing many policies, including holding more drug dealers accountable, Jenkins terminated many of Boudin’s people from within the DA’s office. She also gained a reputation of going against the grain in the city and relying on facts rather than policy, as seen in the recent Banko Brown shooting, where she announced that no criminal charges would be filed against the security guard who had shot Brown despite many city lawmakers trying to push her to reverse her ruling.

While her policies have had several positive effects, one area in which the problem has gotten worse is the fentanyl problem with drug deaths dramatically increasing in the city in the last few years. While policies under former District Attorney Boudin were to limit prosecutions, a worsening economic situation, and a growing law enforcement shortage situation in the city have all played major parts, Jenkins specifically laid the biggest part of the blame on County courts Thursday, saying that judges are ignoring many of the returning dealers in the courtrooms.

“The courts are the biggest barrier,” said Jenkins at the public safety town hall on Thursday. “Arrests for drug dealings are way up and my office has been vigilant in requesting that repeat offenders be detained while awaiting trial. But only 16 of 100 requests for detention have been granted.

“We do everything we can and you can see the same person out on the street the same day. Repeat and chronic offenders are selling the most deadly substance we’ve seen in this city. That tells you something about what has been going on in the courtrooms of this city. The judges are not taking this seriously. The judges are ignoring it. The police have to arrest the same person four times before the court will agree to hold them. I think it’s going to take to the community of San Francisco getting more involved in overseeing what’s going on in these courtrooms.”

Fentanyl problems in SF

The town hall meeting specifically covered how the problem has worsened in the Tenderloin district of the city and what law enforcement was doing about it. This included Breed and SFPD Chief Bill Scott launching a joint operation to go after fentanyl dealing in the district, Governor Gavin Newsom agreeing to send California Highway Patrol officers and National Guard troops to help, and, last month, a new crackdown aimed at open-air drug meets. Both Chief Scott and Jenkins added during the meeting that these efforts, and future plans, would hopefully help alleviate some of the problems in the district in the coming months.

“A plan has been laid out,” said Chief Scott. “And I believe you will see a difference. It’s not going to solve all the problems, but you will see a difference.”

“This community deserves to see it and I firmly believe we are getting there,” DA Jenkins added. “We are not just blowing smoke.”

However, critics on Friday said that Jenkins’ issue with the courts right now prosecuting very few linked to fentanyl would make many of these efforts moot, as dealers would likely go back on the streets without any significant changes made to judicial side of the issue.

“Jenkins was right when she said that the courts are a big part of the blame,” explained Frank Ma, a former law enforcement official who now works as a security advisor for businesses in San Francisco and cities in the Peninsula, to the Globe on Friday. “Now, there are many other problems in the city besides them that can make changes hard to do. For one, we need the SFPD to have enough officers for the city. But the courts have been the main bottleneck.

“You can undo as much damage as possible that Boudin made, but if you can’t do anything to change what the judges and courts will do, it’s like she said, and you’re going to have to pick these people up time and time again and not see anything be done about it. That’s where the real change is needed. We can’t be afraid of throwing people in jail when they deal again and again and again.”

As of Friday morning, San Francisco lawmakers have yet to respond to what Jenkins said at the meeting.