San Francisco mayor signs directive to bolster police force

SF Mayor looks to increase SFPD numbers

SF Mayor Lurie signs executive directive to get more officers on the job

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has launched a new plan aimed at bringing the city's police department to full strength.

SFPD Staffing shortage

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The plan includes a series of short- and long-term steps to grow the department and fill vacant positions.

For years, San Francisco has faced an officer shortage. A department analysis concluded that the department needs about 2,000 officers, but only about 1,500 currently serve.

‘Rebuilding the Ranks’

What we know:

Lurie has signed an executive order aimed at adding 500 police officers and 160 sheriff's deputies to fill those departments.

"It's called 'Rebuilding the Ranks,'" Lurie said. "This executive directive lays out a clear plan to restore our public safety workforce starting immediately."

Over the next three months, the order will launch a plan to pay recently retired SFPD officers and sheriff's deputies to return to work, streamline the hiring process, and review and reform academy operations to improve graduation rates without compromising standards.

Over the next six months, the department will evaluate employment practices like overtime and sick leave to ensure as many officers are available as possible, swap sworn officers out of positions that can be done by civilians, and work to hire officers from other police agencies.

These steps, Lurie said, will save the city money during a difficult budget cycle.

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"We're crunching the numbers on our budget that we'll propose in a few weeks," Lurie said. "More officers mean less mandatory overtime. It means officers that aren't overworked, and it will save us money."

Outgoing Police Chief Bill Scott said the department has relied on overtime.

"We have been living on overtime, and that is not sustainable," Scott said. "We are fortunate that we have the overtime and that the board and the mayor have granted us that funding to fill in the gaps, but we know that's not a sustainable model."

At Azalina's restaurant in the city's Tenderloin District, owner Azalina Eusope welcomes the idea of more officers patrolling her neighborhood.

"This isn't just about officers," Eusope said. "It's about smarter, more compassionate policing. It's about placing well-trained officers in the neighborhoods that need them the most."

Several of the city's supervisors have already lined up in support of the executive order.

The mayor's plan also calls for leveraging new technology like drones and cameras to augment law enforcement.

The call for more officers comes as the city has seen a dramatic decrease in crime.