Woman Arrested In Abuse Case Says S.f. Police Violated Policies

[...] incidents are commonplace despite San Francisco’s official policies of providing interpretive services for limited-English speakers and investigating suspected abusers before leaving children in their custody, said Ana De Carolis of the advocacy group Mujeres Unidas y Activas, which is working on Mejia’s case. The complaint, a precursor to a possible lawsuit, seeks compensation for the $3,500 Mejia paid to a bail bondsman to get out of jail early the next morning, more than $900 in lost wages, $700 for food and clothing she had to buy because of a restraining order that kept her out of the apartment for a week, plus additional costs and pain and suffering. According to the complaint, filed by attorney Angela Chan of Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, Mejia, who had been with her abusive partner for about 10 years, told him to move out late last year, but he refused, and they started sleeping in separate bedrooms. Chan said Police Department policies, adopted in 2007, require officers to identify the person’s primary language and provide interpretive services, either through a bilingual officer or by telephone.