Despite various retention and recruitment efforts, the San Diego Police Department continues to suffer from a mass exodus of its police officers, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman recently told the city’s council members.
The department currently has 1,847 sworn officers on staff—166 less than its budget provides for. And that figure includes officers who are still at the academy or in training.
While the department hired an additional 160 officers during the last fiscal year, another 162 departed, either retiring or heading to other law enforcement agencies. During the first two and a half months of the current fiscal year, the department lost another 35.
The departures aren’t just affecting staff quantity; they are also having a sizeable impact on the quality of the police force. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith says she has “noticed a problem in regard to the experience level,” since some of the most seasoned officers have been among the most likely to leave.
Zimmerman says the problem underscores the need to adopt more competitive strategies in order maintain and recruit personnel.
The city recently agreed to hike officers’ salaries by 7 percent over the next five years, increased overtime pay, and restored premium pay for holidays. But San Diego Police Officers Association Vice President Jeff Jordan said it isn’t enough. Top sheriff’s deputies are making over $18,000 more than the police department’s top brass, for instance. The disparity is so striking, Jordan says, that some officers who departed posted their pay stubs on Facebook.
San Diego City Council Member Mark Kersey says the council is fully aware of the problem’s severity and is working to fix it. Unfortunately, he added, the problems were created through bad decision-making years ago and will take several years, and additional funds, to resolve.
Read more about the SDPD’s retention and recruitment problems here.