SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT
response to the crash and aftermath of
Asiana Flight #214
(291 passengers & 16 crew members)
Seoul’s Incheon International
to
San Francisco International
SFIA Overview
SFO is located in San Mateo County, 15 miles South of San Francisco
Birdseye View
SFO Approach
Date/Time of Event: Saturday, July 6, 2013 @ 1128 hours
Weather: 72F
Visibility: Clear
Wind: 6 mph
It was a clear, sunny morning with a very mild wind. There
was no warning from the aircraft that the landing was going
to be problematic. The first information came from an SFPD
canine patrol unit that was on the Airfield and witnessed the
crash.
Initial Response
13 minutes into the event…
Triage
Medical Transport
189 passengers were transported to 12 different hospitals
located in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and
Alameda Counties.
 2 Most serious injuries by Air Ambulance
 Serious injuries by regular Ambulance
 Minor injuries in bus loads
Patient Status
 49 Serious Condition
 132 Minor Injuries
 3 Deceased (2 at Scene, 1 at Hospital)
 123 No Reported Injuries
Total: 307
Evacuation to Customs from Airfield
Survivors moved to the International Terminal
“G” side Customs in-transit area
Uninjured passengers accommodated in the hallway
with access to restrooms and water
Crew members were sequestered in the waiting lounge
Emergency Operations Center Activated
First Passenger Tweet – .53 seconds
11:28:07
Aircraft comes to rest
11:29 (0.53)
First photo sent on Twitter
Plan for Initial SFPD Response
Original Plan:
SFPD – Pre-designated duties according to the
Emergency Response Plan involves security and access
control
Initial Response
SFPD (18), SFFD (23), and Airfield Safety (5) personnel
responded to the scene, initiated a command post and
began a rescue operation for 307 people
Four SFPD officers remained in the terminals and
established security at the family reunification, museum
(press location), and patrolled the terminals
NTSB Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters
Appendix H, Page 58, December 2008
What if the TSA or an airport police officer wants the manifest?
Since the events of 9/11/2001, the NTSB and air carriers have agreed that
air carriers may give a copy of the manifest to the FBI’s Airport Liaison
Agent (ALA) at any airport in the United States. The agent will then
distribute the manifest, as necessary, to other agencies. If you do not
know your ALA, please contact your local FBI office or your airport police
department.
SFPD officers were able to obtain a copy of the flight manifest very early
in the event. This was extremely helpful in accounting for all the
passengers and crew members.
 What Went Well
 Challenges we Faced
 Lessons Learned
San Francisco Police Department
Airport Bureau On-Duty Staffing on July 6, 2013, 1128 hours.
PATROL
1 – Lieutenant
1 – Sergeant
12 – Officers (3 in each of four terminals)
2 – Patrol cars on Landside
1 – Patrol car on the Airfield
2 – Mobile Canine Units
Total: 48
TRAFFIC
1 – Lieutenant
0 – Sergeants
2 – Officers
26 – Police Service Aides
Airport Staffing / Night Watch
1230 hrs. Started calling in the 1500 shift officers
14 scheduled to work
13 responded to work early
1500 hrs. Started calling in the 2100 shift officers
10 scheduled to work
9 responded to work early
* You must begin thinking about the Second and Third Operational Periods
immediately so you don’t use all of your Human Resources in the First Operational
Period.
Airfield Safety Officer Response
1 - Supervisor
4 - Airfield Safety Officers
Airfield Safety Officers (ASO’s) responded to the scene
and evacuated the victims in pickup trucks to the
ambulance staging area because the scene was too
volatile
Mutual Aid from San Mateo County
San Mateo Sheriff’s Office and
Neighboring San Mateo County Police Agencies
1 - Lieutenant
4 - Sergeants
32 - Officers/Deputies
Total: 37
Outside Staffing
On-Duty SFPD City units sent to SFO to assist
1 - Captain
2 - Lieutenants
4 - Sergeants
51 - Officers
Traffic (12), Tactical (7), Marine (4), Stations (35)
Total: 58
U.S. Customs & Border Protection
Sworn members dispatched
15 – Initially
20 – Additional
Total: 35
Staffing
By 1400 hours, there were 165 police officers, sheriff deputies and customs officers on
scene. This put a significant strain on law enforcement staffing in both San Francisco and
San Mateo Counties.
SWORN
San Francisco Police (Airport units) – 22
San Francisco Police (City units) – 58
San Francisco Police (Off duty) – 13
San Mateo County Agencies – 37
U.S. Customs & Border Protection – 35
Total: 165
CIVILIAN
Police Service Aides – 26
However, as the event transitioned from a rescue operation to an investigation, the amount
of officers needed on the Airfield Operations Area (AOA) dropped significantly. By 1500
hours, we were able to begin releasing a significant amount of the outside resources.
Radio Issues
 SFPD Airport units could communicate with San Mateo
units on the county channel
 City units from San Francisco could not communicate with
Airport Bureau units because the airport recently switched
to a new 700 MHz encrypted system and the City units are
still on the former 800 MHz.
 Airport Communications was able to use the old mutual aid
channel to facilitate communication for all SFPD units
The Reflection Room
(Family Reunification Area)
Located in a Public Area in the International Terminal
(No Privacy)
 Room was too small (Capacity 145 )
 No restrooms inside, families used adjacent public restrooms
California Penal Code 409.5
(a) Whenever a menace to the public health or safety is created by a calamity including a flood, storm, fire, earthquake, explosion,
accident, or other disaster, officers of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, police departments, marshal's office or sheriff's
office, any officer or employee of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection designated a peace officer by subdivision (g) of
Section 830.2, any officer or employee of the Department of Parks and Recreation designated a peace officer by subdivision (f) of
Section 830.2, any officer or employee of the Department of Fish and Game designated a peace officer under subdivision (e) of
Section 830.2, and any publicly employed full-time lifeguard or publicly employed full-time marine safety officer while acting in a
supervisory position in the performance of his or her official duties, may close the area where the menace exists for the duration
thereof by means of ropes, markers, or guards to any and all persons not authorized by the lifeguard or officer to enter or remain
within the enclosed area. If the calamity creates an immediate menace to the public health, the local health officer may close the area
where the menace exists pursuant to the conditions set forth in this section.
(b) Officers of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, police departments, marshal's office or sheriff's office, officers of
the Department of Fish and Game designated as peace officers by subdivision (e) of Section 830.2, or officers of the Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection designated as peace officers by subdivision (g) of Section 830.2 may close the immediate area surrounding
any emergency field command post or any other command post activated for the purpose of bating any calamity enumerated in this
section or any riot or other civil disturbance to any and all unauthorized persons pursuant to the conditions set forth in this section
whether or not the field command post or other command post is located near to the actual calamity or riot or other civil disturbance.
(c) Any unauthorized person who willfully and knowingly enters an area closed pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) and who willfully
remains within the area after receiving notice to evacuate or leave shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor.
(d) Nothing in this section shall prevent a duly authorized representative of any news service, newspaper, or Radio or television
station or network from entering the areas closed pursuant to this section.
Reflection Room
 A family member was “wired up” by media to solicit
statements from family/friends in the reunification
area
 A media representative tried to present themselves
as a family member to gain access to the reunification
area
Designated Media Area
Our Museum in the International Terminal had the
necessary space but the location created problems once
media ascertained they could get access to the family
reunification area that is located at the opposite end of the
terminal. Beginning at 1300 hours on 7/6/14, the airport PIO
(Doug Yakel) facilitated the first of four briefings.
Note: Identify a location that has sufficient space for media personnel and
their equipment.
First Press Announcement
Joint Media Briefing
EOC Hourly Briefings
The first briefing was at 1300 hours.
A representative of the Airport announced to the EOC
group and Airlines that runways 1L & 1R will be open in
four (4) hours with no consultation with LEO’s
Recommendation:
Agency Heads need to meet at 45 minutes to the hour and
determined what activities will occur in the next hour and then make
the announcement at the top of the hour
Site Management
(Length of two football fields)
Crime Scene – FBI
Assessed the scene to determine if a criminal act was involved in the crash.
After they finished their assessment, the crash scene transitioned to the focus
of the NTSB.
Runways 1L/1R opened on 7/6/14 at 1528 hours.
Runway 28R opened on 7/7/14 at 1253 hours.
Crash Scene – NTSB
The NTSB investigated the scene during daylight hours until 7/10/13 at 2000
hours.
Area returned to SFO for Recovery Operation
SFO immediately began repairs and re-opened runway 28L on 7/12/13 at 1705
hours.
Site Preservation
24 / 7
Landside / AOA:
 Command Post Vehicle
 3 units posted in a triangle around crash site
Waterside/Lagoon/Point of Impact:
 SFPD Marine Unit (Primary)
(Mutual Aid from the region was needed to support SFPD)
The listed agencies staffed some of the shifts for 5 days:
1) San Mateo Sheriff
2) Alameda Sheriff
3) Oakland Police
Secured Area Access Issues




Crime Scene Management (Land and Sea)
Staffing for Regular Patrol Assignments
LEO Support for Police Service Aides at AOA Checkpoints
A morning meeting at the United Conference Room for
access clearance and transportation to the crash site
 Identify a single point of entry for investigative personnel
that arrive during the day
 Identify access road with cones from the gate to crash site
staging area to avoid accidents
Hotel Issues
Asiana moved the passengers and families to:
Crown Plaza Hotel
1177 Airport Blvd, Burlingame, CA
(located 5 minutes south of SFO)
Issues:
 Security for the Families
 Media Management
 Law Enforcement Jurisdictional Issues
Family Assistance
Passengers in the Terminal
Debriefing
Critical Incident Response Team
(C.I.R.T.)
A C.I.R.T. debriefing for SFPD Officers, Police Service Aides,
Airfield Safety Officers and Airport 9-1-1 Dispatchers was
held twice during the week and was facilitated by the SFPD
Behavioral Science Unit
Customs and Border Protection had established a support
network for their own personnel
Contact Information
Captain Albert Pardini
Commanding Officer
Airport Bureau, Patrol Division
(650) 821-7171
Albert.pardini@flysfo.com