S.F. officer avoids probation in restraining order case



Vivian Ho

A San Francisco police officer was sentenced Friday to 27 days in a work program for repeatedly violating a domestic violence restraining order filed on behalf of his ex-girlfriend.
 Richard Soares, 31, avoided being put on probation or placed under a new protective order, which could have impacted his ability to carry a gun, but Police Chief Greg Suhr said he would seek the officer's termination.
Soares was convicted May 7 of nine counts of violating a protective order. He was acquitted of more serious charges of assault and dissuading a witness.
The case stemmed from an incident with his then-girlfriend near a Union Square nightclub on Jan. 7, 2012. Prosecutors said the couple had been attending a birthday party but stepped out to argue.
On Geary Street, prosecutors said, the girlfriend hit Soares with her handbag several times, and in response, he shoved her to the ground, causing her to suffer a 1-inch cut on the back of her head.
According to court documents, Soares told a responding officer that his girlfriend was drunk and fell.
He was charged the next month, and a protective order was issued ordering him to have no contact with the woman. However, he continued to live with the girlfriend and initiated chats with her on a computer game, "Words With Friends," for the next nine months.
Prosecutors filed nine counts of violating a protective order against Soares, one for each month. Testifying at trial, he said there were "gray areas" when it came to policing, especially regarding restraining orders.
"You are also taught that there's letter of the law and spirit of the law," he said, in response to a question about whether he knew that protective orders remained valid, no matter the actions of the protected party.
"So if we were to enforce every law that was ever on the books, we wouldn't be able to cross the street," Soares testified. "Basically what I'm saying is we are trained that there are certain things that you do enforce and there are certain things you don't enforce."
Work program
Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer sentenced Soares to three days in the sheriff's work program for each of the nine counts. He was not sentenced to probation, nor was a protective order issued for the victim.
"This sentence was over our objection," said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney's office.
Teresa Caffese, Soares' attorney, said the sentence was fair in a case in which jurors found no domestic violence occurred.
"Unfortunately, because of the district attorney's complete abuse of power and overreaching, they charged Officer Soares with several counts of violating this restraining order," she said. "The jurors had to vote the way they did, even though they said they found the order unlawful.
"This man was innocent," Caffese said. "The real tragedy is that you can't correct the 2 1/2 years of resources that have been used to pursue a case with absolutely no merit."
Beverly Upton, the executive director of the city's Domestic Violence Consortium, said she was disappointed in the leniency of the sentencing.
"Clearly the jury recognized the crimes committed and their impact on public safety and the public trust," she said.
In an unusual move for a case involving alleged crimes outside work, the San Francisco police officers' union sent an e-mail to the private addresses of its members, encouraging them to attend Soares' sentencing hearing - while off duty and out of uniform.
"We want a quick probation so we can assist him with reinstatement," said the e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Chronicle.
Union officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seeking termination
Soares was suspended without pay for the duration of his trial. Chief Suhr noted that his employment will be determined by the city's Police Commission, but said, "I will be asking for termination."
Suhr said, "I'm very clear on this. If my officers get convicted on something like this, that's that."
He called Soares' testimony about enforcement of restraining orders "ridiculous," but added, "Out of an abundance of caution, we will make sure in our roll call training that it's perfectly clear that everyone understands what a restraining order is."
Richard Soares, 31, avoided being put on probation or placed under a new protective order, which could have impacted his ability to carry a gun, but Police Chief Greg Suhr said he would seek the officer's termination.
Soares was convicted May 7 of nine counts of violating a protective order. He was acquitted of more serious charges of assault and dissuading a witness.
The case stemmed from an incident with his then-girlfriend near a Union Square nightclub on Jan. 7, 2012. Prosecutors said the couple had been attending a birthday party but stepped out to argue.
On Geary Street, prosecutors said, the girlfriend hit Soares with her handbag several times, and in response, he shoved her to the ground, causing her to suffer a 1-inch cut on the back of her head.
According to court documents, Soares told a responding officer that his girlfriend was drunk and fell.
He was charged the next month, and a protective order was issued ordering him to have no contact with the woman. However, he continued to live with the girlfriend and initiated chats with her on a computer game, "Words With Friends," for the next nine months.
Prosecutors filed nine counts of violating a protective order against Soares, one for each month. Testifying at trial, he said there were "gray areas" when it came to policing, especially regarding restraining orders.
"You are also taught that there's letter of the law and spirit of the law," he said, in response to a question about whether he knew that protective orders remained valid, no matter the actions of the protected party.
"So if we were to enforce every law that was ever on the books, we wouldn't be able to cross the street," Soares testified. "Basically what I'm saying is we are trained that there are certain things that you do enforce and there are certain things you don't enforce."
Work program
Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer sentenced Soares to three days in the sheriff's work program for each of the nine counts. He was not sentenced to probation, nor was a protective order issued for the victim.
"This sentence was over our objection," said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney's office.
Teresa Caffese, Soares' attorney, said the sentence was fair in a case in which jurors found no domestic violence occurred.
"Unfortunately, because of the district attorney's complete abuse of power and overreaching, they charged Officer Soares with several counts of violating this restraining order," she said. "The jurors had to vote the way they did, even though they said they found the order unlawful.
"This man was innocent," Caffese said. "The real tragedy is that you can't correct the 2 1/2 years of resources that have been used to pursue a case with absolutely no merit."
Beverly Upton, the executive director of the city's Domestic Violence Consortium, said she was disappointed in the leniency of the sentencing.
"Clearly the jury recognized the crimes committed and their impact on public safety and the public trust," she said.
In an unusual move for a case involving alleged crimes outside work, the San Francisco police officers' union sent an e-mail to the private addresses of its members, encouraging them to attend Soares' sentencing hearing - while off duty and out of uniform.
"We want a quick probation so we can assist him with reinstatement," said the e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Chronicle.
Union officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seeking termination
Soares was suspended without pay for the duration of his trial. Chief Suhr noted that his employment will be determined by the city's Police Commission, but said, "I will be asking for termination."
Suhr said, "I'm very clear on this. If my officers get convicted on something like this, that's that."
He called Soares' testimony about enforcement of restraining orders "ridiculous," but added, "Out of an abundance of caution, we will make sure in our roll call training that it's perfectly clear that everyone understands what a restraining order is."