Biography

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Michael Sullivan was with the San Francisco Police Department for 32 years before retiring in 2009. His experience includes Patrol, Field Training, and Administration. As a Sergeant of Police, he was the SFPD's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator for 17 years, beginning in 1992. While on duty at the age of 26, Michael was the victim of a violent crime and has been disabled ever since. As the SFPD's ADA Coordinator, Michael was the department's liaison with San Francisco's disabled community and assured the department's compliance with Title I and II of the ADA. He served in both training and advisory roles. Michael developed and taught a model training course for peace officers regarding the requirements and responsibilities mandated by the ADA and the resulting Civil Rights implications---a course that has been attended by more than 2000 SF police officers as well as officers from other jurisdictions. Michael was a member of the Executive Board of the President's Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities from 1999 through 2001 during the Clinton Administration. He served on the Joseph P. Kennedy Institute's Advisory Committee in 2000, assisting with the development of training for the Washington, D.C. Police Department regarding interaction with persons with disabilities. In 2001, in conjunction with San Francisco Community Mental Health Services, Michael developed and implemented Police Crisis Intervention Training, an intensive 40-hour course for San Francisco police officers that educates them about psychiatric disorders and developmental disabilities and provides them with intervention skills for effective interaction with persons with psychiatric disabilities. The course is offered quarterly and has been recognized and honored by San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, the California Assembly, and the U.S. Congress. Michael was also responsible for overseeing compliance with the California Board of Corrections' Regulations for Temporary Holding Facilities from 1996 to 2005. This project included the development of a policy and procedure manual, a booking and detention training course for police officers and the initiation and supervision of a number of remodeling projects related to facility compliance. In 2009, Michael participated as a content expert in the production of a training video for law enforcement by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, titled "Autism Recognition and Response." In June 2009, Michael was invited by Disability Rights California to participate in the TASC P&A/CAP Annual Conference as a panelist on investigations in skilled nursing facilities. This panel discussed how to ensure incidents are addressed by the criminal justice system. Additionally, Michael investigated and responded to inquiries from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the SF Mayor's Grievance Committee. He was responsible for employee requests for reasonable accommodations and investigated employee discrimination complaints related to disabilities. Michael also served in an advisory role to other city departments and twice was honored as San Francisco's ADA Coordinator of the Year. In July 2005, he was awarded the Community Leadership Award by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco for building a more accessible San Francisco. Michael currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of ADA Coordinators and recently served as law enforcement consultant to the Center on Self-Determination/Oregon Institute on Disability and Development at Oregon Health Science University's School of Nursing as well as the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities at Baylor College of Medicine for their joint five year study, The Identification and Reporting of Violence by Persons with Disabilities Project. Michael has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Science with an emphasis in Community Health Education from San Francisco State University.