Press Release

Mayor London Breed Swears in Debra Walker to San Francisco Police Commission

Walker, a long-time community leader and advocate, brings an equity lens and LGBTQ+ advocacy experience to the Commission
July 15, 2022

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today swore in Debra Walker to the San Francisco Police Commission, the seven-member body charged with setting policy for the Police Department and the Department of Police Accountability (DPA), and conducting disciplinary hearings when police conduct charges are filed.

“I am proud to swear in Debra Walker to the San Francisco Police Commission. She has dedicated her career to serving the people of our City and has a deep understanding of the challenges we are facing, as well the steps we need to take in order to create long-term change,” said Mayor Breed. “Debra will advocate for every San Franciscan to be heard while this Commission seeks to bring reform to our criminal justice system.”

For the past 30 years, Debra has run her own business as an artist, living and working in one of San Francisco’s oldest artist cooperatives. As an active member of the San Francisco community, Debra has served as the past president of both the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club and the San Francisco Arts Democratic Club. Additionally, she has served on the board of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research center and has chaired the San Francisco Live Work and Arts task forces. Debra has also served as an officer in the Women’s Caucus and the LGBTQ Caucus of the California Democratic Party.

“I am honored to serve on the police commission. San Franciscans are asking for safer streets and I look forward to working with my fellow police commissioners, our new district attorney, our Mayor, the board, and all of our communities to accomplish this,” said Debra Walker. “One of my priorities, in addition to mental health alternatives, is to recruit more women and LGBTQ community members to choose law enforcement and public safety careers. We need all of us to solve these issues.”

Debra has also served as a tenant representative on the Building Inspection Commission, where she worked to institutionalize the Code Enforcement Outreach Program by convening tenant and landlord organizations to support building owners in bringing their units up to code. Building on this work, she served on the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety, where she helped push forward an innovative model for resiliency.

To learn more about the San Francisco Police Commission, visit https://sf.gov/public-body/police-commission

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