Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
S.F. Police present budget plan calling for steady hiring, technology and vehicle requests
Summary
The San Francisco Police Department told the Police Commission it plans to continue hiring roughly 150 sworn officers a year, seek funding for a crime data warehouse and request more replacement vehicles and mobile technology as part of its FY2014-15 budget presentation.
The San Francisco Police Department on Feb. 5 laid out a high-level FY2014-15 budget that emphasizes hiring, technology upgrades and a renewed push to replace aging vehicles.
Director Maureen Gannon, the department's budget lead, told the Police Commission that roughly 78 percent of the department's revenue is expected to come from the general fund and that salaries make up about 88 percent of expenditures. She said the department hired 150 officers in the prior year and intends to continue hiring roughly 150 sworn officers annually under its multiyear hiring plan to restore staffing toward charter levels.
Gannon also described capital and technology requests the department will press the Board of Supervisors to fund, including about $750,000 to expand the crime data warehouse, $400,000 for patrol-car modem upgrades, $500,000 for mobile devices for officers and a $1 million request for an e-citations project. She said vehicle replacement is a priority: best practices call for replacing about 138 vehicles per year, while the department is scheduled to receive 60 marked cars this year and has requested funding for another 68 vehicles.
Commissioners pressed for details about the airport-funded positions and how additional vehicles would be prioritized. President Mazuko and others praised the clarity of the presentation and agreed to help advocate with the mayor's office and Board of Supervisors to secure capital funds for the Hall of Justice and vehicle replacements.
Gannon said some capital projects are timed around the department's move to a new building late in 2014 and noted planned investments in station upgrades, Mission Station security, and a new replacement schedule aimed at long-term savings. She told the commission that replacing older vehicles with more efficient models could yield estimated savings (presented by staff) over several years.
The commission did not take a budget vote at the meeting; Gannon and staff said they will provide follow-up materials for the board and supervisors' budget hearings.
Ending: Commissioners urged continued advocacy for vehicles, the new Hall of Justice and capital funding and asked staff to provide additional slides and a tighter breakdown for upcoming budget hearings.
