Heather Fong, the San Francisco Chief of Police, defended her department’s handling of the New Year’s Eve assault on Yale singing group The Baker’s Dozen. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Fong said that officers on the scene couldn’t find anyone to substantiate the charges: “When the facts are there and we have individuals providing information specifically saying this person did this, then we … act. But those individuals weren’t there for the officers to interview.”

Fong said that police logs on the night of the incident suggest that “at least some of the officers dismissed the incident as minor.”

The investigation is still clearly in its early stages, as Fong says the department still has 50 or 60 interviews to conduct as well as photographic and video evidence from the scene to review.

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom’s spokesman, Peter Ragone, said that the mayor is “deeply concerned” about the incident: “He is confident that the Police Department will engage in a thorough, swift and fair investigation and take the appropriate action. If any laws were broken, that should be dealt with appropriately. If any conduct was unacceptable, that will be dealt with appropriately as well.”

Anti-violence groups in the city are keeping a watchful eye on the investigation. Said Tina D’Elia of Community United Against Violence: This is really serious on a very public level. [The incident shows] a level of targeted rage and hatred that is really scary and to me just screams that it is a problem that’s not going away. … If that’s not addressed, then what do we have? We have dead bodies.”

UPDATE: SFPD coming under increased scrutiny over handling…

Fong defends handling of Yale singers’ beating case [sf chronicle]

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