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SFPD will get paid $1 million per year to station officers outside Pelosi home

Two years after an attacker was able to enter the Pelosi home, the Capitol Police force plans to pay the city $1 million for a 24/7 presence.

A red-brick building is undergoing maintenance with scaffolding on its side, surrounded by leafy trees and a black SUV parked in front.
The Pelosi home in Pacific Heights. | Source: Estefany Gonzalez for The Standard

Two years after a hammer-wielding attacker broke into Nancy Pelosi’s home in the middle of the night, the San Francisco Police Department is set to renew a lapsed agreement with federal police to provide 24/7 security at the house in exchange for $1 million. 

The new agreement comes in the wake of the federal conviction of Paul Pelosi attacker David DePape and an uptick in recent protests calling on the Congresswoman to back a ceasefire in Gaza. Two people were recently arrested and charged for protest activities related to Pelsoi’s position on the conflict.

The new agreement, which is retroactive to January, is set to go before the Board of Supervisors later this month.

“The law enforcement services shall include support and enhancements” to existing security, according to the memorandum of understanding. The document says SFPD officers will remain outside of the home seven days a week and at all hours of the day and night, whether or not Nancy Pelosi is in the home.

A police officer stands beside a parked black Chevrolet SUV with California plates, speaking to the driver through the window on a sunny street lined with trees.
A police officer speaks with security guards outside of Nancy Pelosi's home. | Source: Estefany Gonzalez for The Standard

The initial agreement lapsed in 2021, according to a report late last year in Roll Call. An internal Capitol Police memo revealed that “the department cast blame for the missing police presence on long-standing policies, budget shortfalls and unresponsive San Francisco officials.”

On Oct. 28, 2022 DePape broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home, where he was arrested by police officers who witnessed him attack Paul Pelosi with a hammer. DePape confronted Pelosi shouting, “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?”

Two SFPD officers arrived at the scene and saw the attack after Paul Pelosi opened the front door. After DePape struck Pelosi, the officers intervened and detained him. 

DePape later told police about his intention to kidnap Nancy Pelosi in a lone mission to punish her for her politics, court records say.

DePape was eventually convicted on two federal counts for assaulting Paul Pelosi and attempting to kidnap then-speaker Pelosi when he broke into the couple’s home. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in May. 

DePape’s state case is in progress. 

Two men stand inside an open doorway; one holds a flashlight illuminating the scene. A staircase is visible in the background.
Image from a police body camera of the attack on Paul Pelosi that took place on October 28, 2022. | Source: Courtesy San Francisco Superior Court

Pelosi’s office declined to comment on security protocols. The Capitol Police declined to comment on its security plans. An SFPD spokesperson said due to security concerns, the department could not release the number of officers who will be tasked with watching the Pelosi home.

Jonah Owen Lamb can be reached at jonah@sfstandard.com