San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie issued an executive directive on Tuesday aimed at addressing the city's public safety staffing deficit.

"Rebuilding the Ranks" involves short-term strategies to immediately fill the gap, such as allowing recently retired officers to return to work, as well as long-term strategies including bolstering marketing, cutting bureaucratic red tape in the hiring process, and investigating potential abuse of overtime and sick leave.

Lurie discussed the plan at a news conference Tuesday at SFPD headquarters, joined by Police Chief Bill Scott, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, and Supervisors Bilal Mahmood, Danny Sauter, Matt Dorsey, Joel Engardio, and Stephen Sherrill who came to show their support.

SFPD has been facing a steady decline in the number of sworn police officers since 2020. In 2024, there were 1,475 full duty officers across the city, according to the Police Department's recent proposal for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal year budget.

"Right now, San Francisco has fewer than 1,500 full-duty police officers, more than 500 below the recommended staffing level," Lurie said. "The Sheriff's Office is short nearly 200 deputies. That means fewer officers and deputies walking our neighborhoods, slower response times and a growing dependence on costly and unsustainable overtime."

To compensate for the staffing shortage, SFPD has resorted to increasing overtime work. Just last week, the Board of Supervisors approved $91 million to cover overtime costs for both the police and sheriff's departments.

"We have been living on overtime, and that is not sustainable," Scott said at the news conference. "We're fortunate that we have the overtime and that the Board and the mayor has granted us that funding to fill in the gaps, but we know that's not a sustainable model."

One aspect of the executive directive includes investigating employment practices related to overtime and sick leave in the next six months after a recent audit from the city's Budget and Legislative Analyst's Office found "violations of overtime limits and excessive use of overtime" since 2019.

It revealed that 12% of officers who worked overtime accounted for nearly one-third of the department's overtime spending during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. It also found potential abuse of sick leave, with some officers calling in sick but then instead working private security shifts.

Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who voted against approving the $91 million in overtime support, said she will stay on top of Lurie's promises with the investigation into SFPD employment practices.

"I will be following up to ensure the report leads to real action to serve San Franciscans, who are the ones who shoulder this burden the most," Fielder said in a social media post Tuesday.

Part of Lurie's directive will allow recently retired police officers to work patrol and investigative roles, especially special events like parades and large gatherings. Recently retired sheriff's deputies will have the opportunity to return to full-time work.

Both officers and deputies who return to work will be able to receive a regular salary without losing their retirement pensions.

"All retirees, hear me clearly," Scott said. "You won't have to give up your pensions. You can come and work, help the safety in this city and still make a little money on the side and help our deployment situation."

Using technology to streamline and shorten the hiring process, expanding recruitment outreach, and investing in performance-based marketing strategies are some of the reforms Lurie will employ to attract new officers.

On Monday, 55 new recruits began police academy training. Scott also swore in five lateral officers to the department on Monday.

"It's a really exciting time," Scott said. "We have really good momentum in this department, and we plan to continue this."

The executive directive comes one week after the police chief announced his departure from SFPD after serving eight years. Paul Yep, a former SFPD commander who Lurie named as his chief of public safety earlier this year, will serve as interim police chief.

The transition of city leaders and Lurie's reforms, Scott said, makes it a perfect time to join SFPD.

"This city, with this mayor's leadership, has a special opportunity to transition in ways that most cities can't," Scott said. "It's a great environment right now for policing in San Francisco."

Miyamoto praised the executive directive, expressing optimism that Lurie's reforms will bring much needed improvements to public safety staffing.

"This executive order is not just important, it's critical. It's going to help us reduce overtime, the exhaustion, the burnout and the backlog on the streets, in the jails, and in the courts," Miyamoto said. "It's going to help ensure that justice is served, that people are safe, and San Francisco is a better community." 

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