Today, Mayor London N. Breed and San Francisco Police Chief William Scott announced the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) welcomed its largest police academy class since 2018, signaling a major boost in recruitment and hiring under the new staffing plan by Mayor Breed and the SFPD.
The 284th class of 50 SFPD recruits began training Monday alongside the 283rd recruit class, which began in May and was the largest SFPD class since 2019 – until now. The SFPD is on track to have more recruits in the academy this year than any time since the 2020 pandemic and subsequent national crisis in police recruiting and retention.
The 284th recruit class is 22% women and 78% men. The class is 34% white, 32% Asian, 26% Hispanic, and 4% Black with another 4% identifying as “other.”
Mayor Breed’s police staffing plan sets the SFPD to be on track for full staffing by 2026. To meet this goal, Mayor Breed has prioritized recruitment of police officers through investments in new contracts and implementing targeted reforms that have shaved months off the hiring process.
Last year, Mayor Breed negotiated a new contract with the San Francisco Police Officers Association that made SFPD one of the highest starting salaries in the nation at $112,398 per year. This has helped applications to SFPD reach 2018 levels and attracted transfers of trained officers from other jurisdictions.
Mayor Breed has directed improvements to the police hiring process that have expedited filling academies, including:
Directing Department of Human Resources (DHR) and the Controller to provide assistance and guidance to expedite the hiring process
Bringing back retired police officers to conduct background checks
Executing a contract with a private firm to expedite background checks
Reorganized structure within SFPD to make the hiring process more efficient
In addition to this class of recruits, SFPD continues to bring in lateral transfers from law enforcement departments in other jurisdictions. Between three and six more laterals will join the Academy this month, bringing the total laterals year to date to at least twenty. These are experienced officers who undergo a shorter training that are quickly absorbed into the police department. Academy Class 284 joins Class 283, which started last month with 40 recruits.
“Our work to fully staff our Police Department is on track thanks to the significant investments we are making and the reforms to our hiring process,” said Mayor London Breed. “Having more officers in the community and responding quickly when crime does occur is essential to making everyone in our city feel safe. And while fully staffed police force is key to our public safety strategy, but it’s not the only piece. We’re also deploying new technology, using alternatives to policing to free up resources, and investing in violence prevention and community building. I’m grateful for these newest additions to our police force, and to all those who are serving today.”
