Jul 2
Fifth police captain in 4 years responsible for SF’s LGBTQ Castro district departs
John Ferrannini READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The San Francisco Police Department’s Mission Station, which oversees much of the city’s LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, will have a new captain soon. Liza Johansen has departed in the role after less than a year in the position.
Lt. Manuel Bonilla is now acting captain of the station, police spokesperson Robert Rueca stated to the Bay Area Reporter on July 1. Rueca did not answer questions about when the change became effective, the timetable for picking a new permanent captain, why Johansen left and whether she is still with the force.
“The SFPD will continue to work with the community to make sure the public is safe in the Mission Police District and other districts,” Rueca stated in an email.
Asked for a statement and if he knew why Johansen left or the timetable for her replacement, gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who as District 8 supervisor represents the Castro neighborhood on the board, stated late July 1 that, “I have no information but I wish her well. She was great, and we very much enjoyed working with her.”
Andrea Aiello, a lesbian who is executive director of the Castro Community Benefit District, stated to the B.A.R. that, “We’re sad to see Johansen leave. The Castro CBD looks forward to working with acting Captain Bonilla.”
Mission Local had first reported about Johansen’s departure. She became captain at Mission Station last August, as the B.A.R. reported shortly after she had started in the position.
A San Francisco native and a veteran of Mission Station, she told the B.A.R. she was excited to be back walking the beat. She had been a captain at San Francisco International Airport, as well as a night captain, which gave her responsibility for the whole city at night, according to then-police chief William Scott, who departed San Francisco to take a new gig in Los Angeles weeks ago. Paul Yep, previously a close advisor to Mayor Daniel Lurie, is serving as interim chief.
Johansen was the station's fifth captain in four years and the second woman to oversee it. She told the B.A.R. last year that among her priorities were street sex trade (particularly in the Mission district proper, on Capp Street), dirt bikes causing havoc, and burglaries.
It was during Johansen’s tenure that it was decided most of the Castro would remain within the Mission Station boundaries. The idea of moving it within the Park Station’s boundaries – the precinct of which is located at 1899 Waller Street in Golden Gate Park – had been floated, but that was ultimately decided against. One reason cited was because Mission Station’s officers already had established, longstanding relationships and protocols in the neighborhood, as the B.A.R. reported late last year.
