Police stops have fallen dramatically since 2019 and new mapping by Voice of San Diego reveals where things changed most.
Will Huntsberry reports that the great drop was in East Village, the front line of the city’s homelessness crisis, and in Pacific Beach, the San Diego neighborhood most known for partying. Huntsberry writes that pandemic-driven changes likely rocked longtime policing practices in both neighborhoods.
One place where police stops actually spiked: Wealthy La Jolla, where stops surged 40 percent from 2019 to 2022.
Privacy Board Says No to San Diego Police Streetlight Surveillance
After months of anticipation, San Diego’s Privacy Advisory Board recommended Thursday that the City Council reject a police proposal to buy a new streetlight camera system and pair the technology with automatic license plate readers.
The board members who were present at the meeting voted unanimously to pass along a 15-page analysis of SDPD’s proposal that challenges the department, among other things, on its claim that the cameras don’t constitute an invasion of Fourth Amendment rights. Two board members who drafted a contrary opinion — in favor of SDPD’s proposal — did not show up.
Background: Much of the focus in recent weeks has been on whether SDPD has provided the volunteer group with enough information to properly vet the new technology. Some board members complained, for instance, that they’ve yet to see a draft agreement or contract with the vendor.
In response, SDPD has argued that the city’s surveillance ordinance prevents officials from disclosing such documents before the use policies and impact reports for new technology go through the review process.
The SDPD proposal and the board’s recommendation goes next to the City Council.
Some Supes Won’t Return to SDUSD
San Diego Unified named its new area superintendents after vacating the same positions back in April.
There are several familiar faces, including a few educators, but Jakob McWhinney reports only one of the district’s previous area superintendents was invited back.
Though the news of the district’s shuffle caught some community members off guard, district officials have said the job is different now. It will, for example, shift the focus of the position away from instruction.
In Other News
- County supervisors next Tuesday will discuss declaring a local emergency to address Tijuana sewage that’s been flowing to San Diego beaches, The Union-Tribune reports.
- A new report by University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute concludes that the region’s quality of life is falling in key areas including housing affordability, 10 News reports.
- The Union-Tribune reports that the search is on for a new San Diego County public defender.
- This Washington Post article about the risks of deep-sea adventure features a pair of Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers. They offer theories on what happened to the Titan submersible.
- CBS 8 reports that the Imperial Beach City Council this week approved an ordinance barring new gun stores for at least 45 days.
The Morning Report was written by Jesse Marx and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.