SFPD faces scrutiny over low rape case solve rate as survivors call for reforms

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 en