When San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was ousted from office in a recall election last month, his deep-pocketed opponents painted a picture of a weak prosecutor with soft-on-crime policies catering to the social justice set.
Just weeks later, local officials have lurched in a dramatically new direction, advancing a sprawling surveillance program that would tap into private cameras across the city.
Under the latest policy proposed by a newly emboldened police department—and backed by Mayor London Breed and the new DA’s office—cops would be able to watch residents in real time during a “significant event with public safety concerns,” and as part of “investigations” relating to both “active misdemeanors” as well as felonies.