FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2010
CONTACT: Erica Terry Derryck, DA Harris’ Office, (415) 553-1167
DA Harris Details Review Process for Cases Potentially Impacted by SFPD Disclosures
David Pfeifer to Head Internal Brady Team; John Keker to Advise DA Harris
SAN FRANCISCO – District Attorney Kamala D. Harris announced today that she has put in place a series of measures to assess cases that may be impacted by expected disclosures from the San Francisco Police Department about the misconduct of sworn officers and civilian employees.District Attorney Harris has called on John Keker, a top criminal defense attorney, chief prosecutor in United States v. Oliver North, two-time President of the San Francisco Police Commission and founding partner of Keker and Van Nest, to advise the District Attorney’s Office in this area. Specifically, Mr. Keker will assist the District Attorney’s Office in assessing any potential impact future disclosures from the San Francisco Police Department about the misconduct and criminal history of San Francisco Police Department personnel may have on the cases which have already been adjudicated.
“District Attorney Harris has put the right system in place to deal with the forthcoming disclosures of police misconduct from the police department. Her team has a solid foundation for moving forward, and I’m looking forward to advising them as they determine the right course of action in handling cases impacted by these disclosures,” said Keker.
Mr. Keker will be working with a team of veteran San Francisco prosecutors, led by the District Attorney’s Office’s Chief of the Special Operations division David Pfeifer. Since April 19, 2010 Assistant District Attorney Pfeifer has been leading the District Attorney’s efforts in the discussions with the San Francisco Police in the development of its external Brady policy. Assistant District Attorney Pfeifer also played a key role in finalizing the District Attorney’s Office’s internal Brady policy, which District Attorney Harris rolled out on April 23, 2010 as part of a reform agenda.
“I have asked John Keker to join my team as a special advisor and to provide his counsel to my team of veteran prosecutors that will examine any cases impacted by disclosures regarding police misconduct that we receive from the San Francisco Police Department,” said District Attorney Harris. “John Keker has unimpeachable judgment and independence, and, as we undertake reforms of our system, I’m proud that he’s going to be there to help us make those reforms real.”
The new procedures announced today are in addition to other measures that Harris has taken in the wake of disclosures about former lab technician Deborah Madden and the San Francisco Police Department Crime Lab’s narcotics division, including working with Police Chief George Gascón and the Board of Supervisors to develop an independent narcotics testing program in San Francisco, and pushing for a tough new law making evidence tampering by a civilian employee of a police department an automatic felony punishable by state prison.
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