The longest-serving footbeat officer on Ingleside’s Ocean Avenue in living memory has been honored by City Hall for his years of service.
Drewkai Butler was honored on Tuesday at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting for seven years of dedicated service to the communities in the San Francisco Police Department's Taraval District.
“It's an awesome place to have the honor and the privilege to serve all of you, whoever you are in our magnificent city,” Butler said. “It's with pride and joy that I take this moment to just say thank you to you all. Let's remember that we have this spectacular, great city. Let's keep fighting to make it a great city. Let's be kind to one another.”
Born in Liberia, West Africa, Butler moved to San Francisco when he was seven. He left his career in human resources at a staffing company to join SFPD in 2016. He began patrolling Ingleside’s Ocean Avenue in 2019. In April, he was promoted to sergeant and, after training, landed at Park Station, where he now works the night shift.
District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who initiated the commendation, shared that what sets him apart from others is his recognition that public safety is about more than responding to emergencies; it's about building trust, strengthening relationships with residents and merchants and making people feel seen and heard.
“Whether walking a footbeat, responding to calls for service or simply greeting neighbors with his trademark smile, he has consistently demonstrated that effective policing begins with respect, with communication, with a genuine human connection,” Melgar said.
District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen said Butler’s presence was well-known and deeply missed along Ocean Avenue.
“You truly, truly are the best of the best that I can think of, and I am so, so grateful for the work you are doing and you have done for our community and for keeping our community safe,” Chen said.
Taraval Station Capt. Clayton Harmston and Ocean Avenue Association board member Kath Tsakalakis both spoke about their experiences working with Butler.
Harmston said that Butler “really embodies what a footbeat officer should be,” and once he’s off probation, Harmston wants to bring him back to Taraval Station.
“[Butler] believes that the police are the community and the community are the police,” Harmston said. “With every interaction he has, it blows me away just to see the reaction that he gets from the community and the great accomplishments he's had in Taraval.”
Though he will no longer be patrolling Ingleside, Butler told The Ingleside Light that he is appreciative of his time in the neighborhood, like helping people with directions and saying hi or sharing smiles with those he engages with, and is looking forward to continuing to do what he loves most: interacting with the public.
“I really love being out in the community as a footbeat officer at heart,” Butler told The Ingleside Light. “Just being in touch with the community, the people who are in San Francisco, whoever they are, that’s just where my heart lies.”
