News and Events

SDPD staffing losses a community crisis

Jul. 2006 - In a report issued July 11, Mayor Sanders refers to the loss of experienced police officers as “a crises for the community.”

The former police chief included his remarks as a preface to the Police Department’s Recruitment and Retention Plan, which attributes its staffing challenges to a shrinking pool of qualified applicants, a more competitive recruiting environment and a higher than average loss of tenured officers to other law enforcement agencies.

It’s not just the lack of pay raises or benefit increases in recent years that are influencing officers’ decisions to consider other employers. Increasing healthcare costs, and benefit changes that require officers to pay a larger portion of their retirement plan contributions have created take-home pay reductions for police and all city employees.

Retention solutions will involve moves to ensure competitive salaries, benefits and opportunities, according to the report. For more information, you can
download the report.