Traffic Company and Forensic Services Division

What is the Traffic Company and Forensic Services Division facility?

The Traffic Company and Forensic Services Division facility is comprised of two separate divisions that are managed and operated by the San Francisco Police Department.

The Traffic Company is primarily composed of police officers assigned to motorcycles to provide traffic enforcement, accident investigations and to raise public awareness of traffic-safety measures. The company’s primary mission is to reduce injuries and fatalities and to provide traffic and pedestrian safety through investigations and traffic management. The company’s involvement is key in major citywide events, such as parades and demonstrations, and provides essential services in the event of a major disaster.

Forensic Services is a division of the San Francisco Police Department’s Administration Bureau, with a crime lab, or a forensic testing laboratory, that examines evidence, including DNA, and provides expert testimony to support criminal cases. It also includes crime scene investigators, a photo lab, a computer forensics laboratory and the Identification Bureau, which manages the department’s fingerprint records.

Scope of work

ESER 2014 relocated the Traffic Company and Forensic Services Division to a single site located at 1995 Evans Avenue in the Bayview. The facility is approximately 100,000 square feet and equipped with laboratory spaces, evidence storage, a firearm testing facility and conference and office spaces. There also is space allocated for all SFPD motorcycle parking.

Press Clips and Videos

SFGovTV Groundbreaking - August 8, 2019

Construction Newsletter

September 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
November 2019

What they're saying

Mayor London N. Breed:

"The Police Department's Traffic Company and Forensic Services Division are an important part of our city's emergency response plan, and it's critical that they are located in a seismically-safe building so that they can continue to serve the community in the hours and days after an earthquake or other emergency."

William Scott, Chief, San Francisco Police Department:

"The development of a new, seismically safe and easily accessible facility will help us continue to respond quickly to the needs of San Francisco, provide uninterrupted service during a disaster and enable a rapid recovery for our city."

Capt. Denise Flaherty, Commanding Officer of the SFPD Traffic Company:

"All the police motorcycles are parked in the Hall of Justice basement. If there's a major earthquake, those motorcycles may be inaccessible. That's one of the last things we'd want to see happen. Motorcycles will be able to get around San Francisco if the streets are damaged and covered in debris."

Explore the other ESER 2014 Bond Components

• Neighborhood Firehouses
• District Police Stations and Infrastructure
• Emergency Firefighting Water System
• Medical Examiner Facility
   

What is the ESER bond program?

Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) is San Francisco's bond program to strategically address critical public safety needs in the City. The program identifies seismic improvements and upgrades to City-owned facilities that are needed to help safeguard San Francisco. Learn more here.