Chief Fong warns budget cuts could threaten hiring as citywide serious crime picture shifts

Chief Heather Fong told the San Francisco Police Commission at a neighborhood meeting at Park Station on Nov. 28, 2007, that the city faces a major budget shortfall that will affect police planning and staffing.

Fong said the mayor informed department heads that the next fiscal year will start with an anticipated $229,000,000 deficit and that the 2010 cycle already shows more than $100,000,000 in projected shortfalls. "He informed us all that next year in the 'nine fiscal year, there is an anticipated $229,000,000 deficit," she said, adding department CFOs will meet with the Mayor's Budget Office and return more specific recommendations.

Why it matters: The department credits a multiyear hiring strategy with recent gains in staffing, foot patrols and investigative capacity. Fong warned that an 8% and 3% set of reduction directions from the mayor's office would force hard choices and could imperil progress made over the past 3½ years. "We cannot stop the multiyear hiring strategy," she said, calling hiring and civilianization "a key area that we have to fight for."

Commissioners pressed for specifics. Commissioner Veronese and others asked whether the cuts were fixed percentages or categories; Fong said the reductions are two separate categories (8% and 3%) and that CFOs will provide further detail. One commissioner asked whether the percentage reductions would reduce academy classes or the number of officers on the street; Fong replied the department will work to preserve classes and civilian positions, but the outcomes will depend on the budget process.

Fong also gave a brief operational report: overall Part 1 crimes are down 13% across San Francisco, she said, but homicides have increased and present a different enforcement challenge because many recent killings appeared spontaneous and opportunistic. "This year, we do have a higher number of homicides than we have had in the past years," she said. The department has also established a task force on auto-boosting since September and reported arrests in hotspot areas.

Next steps: Fong said she will send commissioners more detailed budget materials via Sergeant Riley and the department's CFO will present additional information at a follow-up meeting. Commissioners signaled interest in tracking how the foot-patrol, boundary and performance studies due in the coming months will affect assessed staffing needs.

Ending: The commission accepted the report and moved to community and captain-level presentations for Park Station.