Continue advocacy efforts for adequate staffing within Police and Fire Departments.
San Francisco Police Department (SFPD)
From 2004 to 2014, the population of San Francisco increased almost 12 percent. During the same period of time, however, the number of San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) sworn officers decreased three percent. The San Francisco Charter mandates a minimum police staffing baseline of not less than 1,971 sworn full-duty officers. In Fiscal Year 2013-2014, SFPD had 1,960 sworn officers, down from 2,022 in FY 2003-04.
With steady violent crime rates and a significant increase in property crime rates in the last few years, our office has made it a priority to support efforts to ensure adequate staffing within the Police Department. With adequate staffing in the Police Department, for example, SFPD will be able to add officers on foot patrol to district stations, add officers on bicycles, fully staff the School Resource Officers (SRO) Program, fully staff the Traffic Unit, and dedicate officers to auto burglary and robbery suppression. These are all areas that Sunset District residents have identified as priorities.
San Francisco is currently in the middle of a multi-year comprehensive staffing plan. This year, the City announced an accelerated SFPD sworn officer hiring plan with a goal to reach Charter mandated levels by 2017, one year earlier than the original six-year hiring plan. Our office will continue to monitor budget conversations around Police Department staffing and work to get Taraval Police Station the resources they need to better respond to Sunset residents.
In addition to adequate staffing in the Police Department, we will continue to advocate for the hiring of culturally and linguistically competent staff as well. According to a recent Controller’s Report, SFPD’s largest differential of police race to resident race is in the Asian and Pacific Islander population. Our office will continue to disseminate information on SFPD recruitment efforts, including sharing details on career information sessions, with Sunset District residents.
San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD)
SFFD is also in the midst of a multi-year comprehensive staffing plan to restore staffing levels depleted by retirements. In Fiscal Year 2015-2016, the Department will hold four H-2 Firefighter academy classes in the next two years with a total of eight firefighter academies over the next five years to replace staff in the wake of the projected wave of retirements. Our office will also work with SFFD on their recruitment and outreach efforts.
Find out more:
Information on the San Francisco Police Department’s Academy:
http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=3785
Information on the San Francisco Fire Department’s Employment Opportunities:
http://38.106.4.187/index.aspx?page=7
Controller’s Office Report on Police Staffing (June 2015):
http://sfcontroller.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=6508