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San Bruno police association warns of mass departures as contract talks stall
Summary
Police association president and long‑time department staff told the council that recent negotiations have prompted multiple officers to lateral, that the department is losing institutional experience, and that recruiting/training replacements carries a roughly $150,000 cost per officer.
San Bruno — Members of the San Bruno Police Department and long‑time department staff urged the City Council to prioritize compensation in ongoing contract talks, warning of accelerating departures that they say are driven by pay differentials with neighboring agencies.
Tommy Ledesma, speaking as police association president during public comment, said negotiations that began in July 2025 have coincided with a wave of departures: "Since negotiations began in July 2025, at least 5 officers have begun the process of lateraling to other agencies. This does not include 1 officer and 1 dispatcher that have already lateraled this month. We are currently facing 4 retirements this coming year. To put it bluntly, 1 5th of our police department is actively leaving for other departments or retiring," he said, and urged council action to avert longer response times and degraded public safety.
Maryann Lindblom, a police clerk who described 29 years with the department, emphasized the cost and time of replacing officers and estimated the full cost to train and field a new officer at "roughly a $150,000 per officer." She and other speakers said turnover reduces institutional knowledge and morale.
Other public commenters — a downtown merchant and a local business leader — said retaining experienced officers supports public safety and downtown economic vitality. A retired officer warned that a prior 2008 impasse produced similar losses and urged bargaining that is "honest and fair."
What council heard: speakers urged the council to consider higher compensation ranges to remain competitive. Council members acknowledged the department’s public‑safety role and thanked speakers; no compensation decision was taken at the meeting, which was presented as a public‑comment item separate from closed‑session labor negotiations.
Next steps: labor negotiations continue in closed session; council and staff did not announce any immediate changes to proposals at the Feb. 24 meeting.
