Emeryville police officers warn council of staffing ‘crisis,’ urge pay adjustments

Emeryville Police Officers Association leaders told the Emeryville City Council on June 2 that the police department is facing a staffing crisis that could undermine patrol coverage and investigative capacity. Warren Williams, an Emeryville police officer and EPOA vice president, said the department is authorized for 30 sworn officers but had 24 on the roster at the time of the presentation, an occupancy rate he described as about 73.3 percent.

EPOA President Lance Goodfellow said several officers have recently resigned or given notice and that multiple members are eligible to retire in the near term. "We have people that can retire. We have five that can walk out the door today," Goodfellow said, warning that line patrol watches are being reduced to three officers and one sergeant on some shifts and that routine tasks — such as transporting a detainee to county jail — can leave the city with minimal patrol coverage.

The union presentation documented recruiting challenges. Williams and Goodfellow showed recruitment flyers and pay scales from agencies including BART, San Francisco, Berkeley, Livermore and Santa Clara, arguing that those agencies’ higher pay, bonuses and benefits draw lateral candidates away from Emeryville. Williams described recent examples in which officers accepted demotions to move to higher‑paying agencies and said some members who recently started families have sought positions farther from Emeryville to afford housing.

Union leaders also said chronic understaffing is already affecting operations: grant‑funded overtime was curtailed because patrol needs absorb available personnel, and the detective unit has been strained, leaving limited time for investigations after heavy overtime stretches. "When we get to a point where we’re so thinly staffed that we can’t afford free overtime," Williams said, "we may not qualify for future grants and residents could see less traffic enforcement."

Council members did not take action on the staffing presentation but accepted the AB 2561 informational report on vacancies and recruitment. City staff had earlier reported a citywide vacancy rate of about 12.6 percent across all employee groups and provided department‑level snapshots. The council encouraged continued dialogue; Mayor Carr thanked presenters and noted the matter will factor into upcoming labor negotiations.

Next steps: the presentation was received as part of the AB 2561 hearing; no council vote was required. EPOA leaders reiterated an invitation for council members to ride along on weekends to observe patrol conditions firsthand.