San Francisco plans to hire recently retired police officers to staff major events in the city to address the police department’s staffing shortage, Mayor Lurie announced Monday.
The plan, called the Special Events Officer Program, will recruit recently retired officers to staff events, including future events, such as Super Bowl LX next year, which will be held at Levi’s Stadium, but the city will most likely play host to several events related to the Super Bowl. Other major events taking place next year include the FIFA World Cup, where the Bay Area will host several events and games.
Officials said that the program will not only address the staffing shortage but also help reduce the department’s mandatory overtime, which is typically used when officers have to staff major events in the city, such as last month’s Pride Parade. Overtime at the police department has been a hot-button issue during city budget discussions over the last several years.
Lurie said in a video post on Instagram that the city is looking to have 50 to 100 retired officers at events.
Retirees could also be stationed at shelters and navigation centers, the mayor’s office said.
“We are meeting the serious staffing shortages with urgency, innovation, and results, and the Special Events Officer Program gives us a smart, immediate way to put more officers where we need them, without overextending our current force,” Lurie said in a statement.
Interim Police Chief Paul Yep said the new program is a “smarter way to deploy resources” at major city events, while bringing down overtime and “keeping officers on the beat.”
The new plan was met with agreement from the city’s Police Officers Association last month, officials said.
Tracy McCray, president of the Police Officers Association, said the program “will help ensure public safety during large-scale events while we continue working to rebuild and grow the Department.”
The new program is part of the mayor’s overall plan to staff up the police and sheriff’s departments, which Lurie announced in May. The plan also includes launching a reserve officers program that would also use retired officers for patrolling and investigative roles.
The mayor’s office is touting an increase in applications at the police department. From January to June this year, the department received 2,155 application submissions, compared to 1,311 applications submitted during the same period last year.
Additionally, the department later this month will host “one-step testing days” to expedite the application process by allowing applicants to complete several tests in one day, including interviews, physical tests, and fingerprinting.