Who’s in the ‘Hood

By Frances Neagley

Quite often in the HVNA Voice, we highlight places or people in the neighborhood. In this issue we look at a group of people who have made a difference to our community and interview one of them in particular, Officer Jeff Sung of the San Francisco Police Department.

Voice: What is your position at Northern Station, and how long have you been a member of the SFPD?

Officer Sung: I am Captain Dillon’s community liaison officer. I’m a native of San Francisco and have been a police officer for 16 years, the past five years at Northern Station. As a foot beat officer, I cover the 400-500 blocks of Hayes Street, the 300-500 blocks of Haight Street and the area around Church and Duboce Streets. I am also the code enforcement officer at the Northern Station.

Voice: We see you and Captain Dillon at a lot of neighborhood events. How would you describe the relationship of Northern Station to the community?

Officer Sung: Captain Dillon of the SFPD Northern Police Station has committed himself and his officers to be a visible and responsive part of the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Northern Station covers a broad section of the City, from Steiner Street to Market Street to the Marina Green to Larkin Street. The people in Hayes Valley have worked hard to have a good relationship with us, inviting us to be partners in the community. The Captain feels strongly that we are a part of the community, and working together we can accomplish a great deal. He encourages personal and professional involvement in the community.

Voice: How does that translate to you? We see you often in the area. What types of involvement do you have in the community?

Officer Sung: In addition to my other police duties, I attend the HVNA general meetings, the HVNA Public Safety Committee meetings and the Hayes Valley Community Partners meetings. I also participate in their programs throughout the year.

Voice: How would you characterize that participation? What are some of the specific things that you do?

Officer Sung: One of my most important functions as liaison officer is to make sure there is good communication between neighborhood groups and Captain Dillon. He was able to authorize the use of an SFPD truck, for instance, to pick up the hundreds of turkeys and hams that were part of the food baskets put together by Hayes Valley Community Partners. We were also able to have officers use the truck to deliver the food baskets to the recipients. On a personal basis, because of my involvement with both groups, the HVCP received a sizeable donation for their Fostering a Safe and Caring program from the Asian-American Police Officers Association.

Officer Sung preparing food baskets with HVNA Board members (left to right) Frances Neagly, Richard Johnson, Paul Olsen and Jim Warshell.
Photo: Barbara Wenger

Voice: You said earlier you have been working out of Northern for 5 years. Are things different now than when you started there?

Officer Sung: I really enjoy my involvement. I’ve witnessed a lot of changes that have come about because of the increase in community involvement and responsibility. I know and am known by many people in Hayes Valley, a lot of them on a first-name basis. I feel a lot of pride in the improvements that continue in Hayes Valley. Being able to work on a personal basis with so many caring people is a gift. Not all neighborhoods are like this one. I am able to work with people from throughout the community who really want to make a difference, and who step up and do more than just talk.

Voice: Any final thoughts?

Officer Sung: I look forward to continuing to work with you. Violent crimes in the area have decreased and we now have new foot beat officers around the clock. We have a strong partnership between Northern Station and Hayes Valley. The successes that we’ve had in this area are because of the involvement, leadership and commitment of Captain Dillon. He sets the tone for all of us.