City may eliminate ‘patrol special police’ force

San Francisco has had a private police force patrolling the city for over 150 years, and now the city is considering its elimination.

The Patrol Special Police are not sworn peace officers but they are supervised by the San Francisco Police Department. The officers carry guns and wear a uniform that looks almost identical to regular SFPD uniforms. They are hired by merchants and neighborhood associations to patrol the streets. They make residents feel safe, according to ABC7. But the agency's future is in jeopardy.

The city controller's office hired a consultant group in Boston to study the patrol specialists. The consultants recommended the city change its charter and eliminate the group.

The report calls the patrol specialists a financial burden on the city, according to the SF Examiner. It costs city taxpayers over $300,000 a year to keep the force going, all while serving private clients.

The Patrol Special Police has been around since the Gold Rush. They were created to protect merchants during that chaotic time. In 1935, the private force was added to the city charter to be overseen by the police commission.

The report will be presented to the police commission Wednesday night.