Lurie Signs Police Contract to Tackle 500-Officer Shortage

Mayor Daniel Lurie signed a new collective bargaining agreement with the San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA) on May 11, making SFPD officers among the best-compensated in the nation. The contract, unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors, is the city's most significant bet yet that higher pay can reverse a staffing crisis that has dogged the department since the pandemic.

• New SFPOA contract signed into law after unanimous Board of Supervisors approval, boosting SFPD compensation to among the highest nationally

• SFPD still more than 500 officers short, but academy classes are the largest in nearly a decade

• Crime down roughly 30% last year with car break-ins at 22-year lows; down an additional 25% so far this year

• Public confidence in SF's direction surged from 22% in 2024 to over 65% currently

Why it matters: San Francisco's police department lost more than a quarter of its workforce during the pandemic. The officers who remained picked up the slack through overtime — expensive for the city, exhausting for the force. The new SFPOA contract is designed to break that cycle by making SFPD pay competitive enough to lure recruits away from rival Bay Area agencies and hold onto veterans who might otherwise leave.