Police recruitment update; staffing and budget outlook signals risk of cuts

SFPD presented an update on recruitment and retention and briefed the commission on the department's fiscal outlook during the June 10 meeting.

Director Alice Villegomez said recruiting produced a large applicant pool (more than 3,000 applicants entered the testing cycle this year), multiple active eligible lists and new incentives negotiated in collective bargaining including a homeownership program (two officers have used it) and a $5,000 relocation/rental assistance payment (five officers have used it). Villegomez also reported 59 current participants in the DROP deferred-retirement option and noted continuing attrition in academy and field-training (FTO) phases; roughly one in five candidates who start the process completes it.

In a separate budget briefing, Chief Financial Officer Ken Bukowski said the mayor's proposed budget includes funding for 30 new officer positions (primarily to add laterals) and that, under current assumptions, the department could end the next fiscal year near about "1,900 officers by the end of next fiscal year given only 30 new officer positions in the budget." Bukowski warned that a Board of Supervisors committee vote creating an interim $42 million reduction for the period before the final budget could force layoffs if sustained by the full board; he said the city's fringe-benefit and technology work-order adjustments also increase total personnel costs even as position counts fall.

Commissioners asked for demographic breakouts at each stage of recruitment and for data on why candidates fall out (background, psych screening, academy, FTO). Villegomez said the department is working to improve ITS and data-tracking to supply those metrics; commissioners requested a future report with step-by-step attrition figures and demographic analysis.