Bank Robbery the Latest in Series of Charges Against SFPD Officer

A San Francisco police officer arrested and charged by federal prosecutors earlier this week with robbing a bank in the city’s Sunset neighborhood was already under investigation for multiple crimes.

Long before Officer Rain Daugherty allegedly got away with $9,050 in cash from the East West Bank on Irving Street on Nov. 29, he was under investigation for trading racist text messages with fellow members of the San Francisco Police Department. That case is ongoing.

More recently, the 44-year-old was arrested in San Mateo County for drug possession and stealing $24,000 from an elderly neighbor in Burlingame for whom he was running occasional errands.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, Daugherty posted $100,000 in bail in August, and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for February 2019.

Attorney Alison Berry Wilkinson has been representing Daugherty on the text message case since 2015. She’s one of three lawyers working with the currently suspended police officer on these three separate cases.

Daugherty could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the bank robbery charges.

Wilkinson said the latest allegations against her client took her by surprise.

“He was an excellent police officer,” Wilkinson said. “And the types of things that he is alleged to have done were inconsistent with the information I had about his dedication to law enforcement.”

Daugherty has been on “unpaid status” with the police force since July. Police chief Bill Scott said Daugherty hasn’t yet been fired because he has the right to due process.

“We just can’t arbitrarily release people without due process,” Scott said.

Scott also expressed sadness at the latest allegations against Daugherty.

“Just like we say of anybody that we have to deal with who has committed a crime, these are all human beings we’re talking about,” Scott said. “There is a human component to this, and it’s really heartbreaking to see a police officer be in that position.”