SFPD faces scrutiny over low rape case solve rate as survivors call for reforms
By Da Lin
The San Francisco Police Department is facing renewed scrutiny over its handling of sexual assault cases, after data showed the department solved just 14% of rape cases last year — half the national rate and the lowest among any large California county, according to the S.F. Standard.
At a joint hearing Thursday, members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee and the Commission on the Status of Women examined potential reforms to the department’s Special Victims Unit. The meeting came after multiple survivors raised concerns about slow responses, inadequate follow-up, and failures to collect evidence.
Among those who spoke at the hearing’s public comment section was Brad Chapin, a progressive organizer who went public this year with an allegation of sexual assault against Manny Yekutiel, a former candidate for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Yekutiel has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Chapin addressed city leaders who had endorsed Yekutiel’s campaign, describing the personal toll of coming forward.
“It’s been one of the worst things in my life. But it’s also something that I’m proud of,” Chapin said as he cried. “It also caused a lot of harm. I lost my job. I can hardly function most time until this last week when I got some normalcy back because two other people came forward. But I forgive you for not believing me.”
Yekutiel initially retained the support of prominent city leaders, including elected officials who endorsed his campaign. He dropped out of the race after two other people came forward with similar allegations.
Chapin also described the alleged assault, saying he was hurt and repeatedly asked to be released.
“My testicles were squeezed. I was in excruciating pain. And when I begged him over and over and over to let me go. He stared into my eyes the entire time, smirking and yanking me back every time I begged him to let me go,” Chapin alleged.
Chapin said police did little after he reported the alleged assault.
The department’s case statistics have raised broader concerns about how sexual assault investigations are handled. In 2025, SFPD classified 78% of its rape cases as “inactive,” meaning they technically remain open but are no longer being actively investigated.
Supervisor Danny Sauter, who represents District 3, said he was dissatisfied with the department’s explanation for its low solve rate.
“I don’t think there’s a good explanation,” Sauter said. “And elected officials, myself included, need to work with the police department to change that and to change that quickly.”
The hearing, organized by Supervisor Myrna Melgar, focused on reforming the Special Victims Unit, which currently has 31 investigators.
Police Chief Derrick Lew acknowledged the importance of how survivors are treated when they report sexual assault.
