Off-duty San Francisco firefighters are volunteering to patrol city streets in order to prevent violence against Asians in the aftermath of recent attacks.
“While we don’t want them to act on criminal activity, we do want everyone to be safe, to keep the members of the community safe, and to watch out for the elderly and vulnerable,” San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto told KPIX-TV.
On Tuesday, police led a group of off-duty firefighters and members of the Asian Firefighters Association through Chinatown for the first ad hoc patrol. They handed out cards that provided the number for a new tip line to help Chinese speakers report crimes.
Officials look to expand patrols into other neighborhoods as more firefighters and other residents volunteer.
“We are going to be there in numbers and in strength and do what we need to do to defend these people,” said retired San Francisco Fire Marshall Paul Chin told KPIX.
