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Police chief warns hiring deferral and grant losses could increase overtime and strain services
Summary
Police Chief Darren Goodman told council that vacant positions and the proposed hiring deferral may increase overtime costs and service strain; the department said civilian positions are critical to public-safety operations and expressed uncertainty whether existing salary savings will be retained.
San Bernardino’s police leadership cautioned the city council that the proposed hiring deferral and recent grant losses could increase overtime costs and risk staff burnout, even as council and staff sought to protect sworn staffing levels.
Chief Darren Goodman said the department is seeking to preserve sworn positions but warned that civilian positions also support the public‑safety mission. “There’s not a single position in our department that’s not important,” Goodman said when asked whether the city planned to refill grants‑funded civilian posts. He said civilian staff reduce costs by performing work that would otherwise require sworn officers.
Goodman said the department has salary savings tied to vacant positions from the current year. He described uncertainty about whether those savings will be available to the department going forward. “I’m still waiting for clear answers on whether this year’s salary savings will go towards my 5% for 2526,” Goodman said. Without that carry‑forward he warned of a “double hit” where salary savings are used and a separate 5% cut is required in the next fiscal year, which would reduce the department’s ability to hire and cover overtime.
Council members probed several public‑safety issues during the workshop. Fireworks enforcement was discussed as a line‑item that depends on reimbursed revenues; Chief Goodman confirmed that if the city no longer receives the Safe and Sane sales revenue, enforcement costs would have to come from the general fund. The department also said that some positions previously funded by grants (for example, CSOs and records staff) were valuable and the department would seek to reapply for grants where possible.
Finance staff and the city manager emphasized the goal of preserving public‑safety services where possible and said hiring deferral decisions were intended to be temporary until revenue conditions clarified. Staff also committed to quarterly financial updates to the council.
