Should I Become a Cop?
Perhaps not, but solutions to San Francisco's critical police officer shortage may be much closer than you think
San Francisco, like many big cities in the U.S., is faced with a law and order catastrophe. Our police force is decimated. Currently we are down somewhere between 500 and 700 sworn officers. The impact the dearth has had on public safety is felt in every district. There simply isn't enough people power to quickly respond to every crime in process or to stop criminal activity from happening in the first place.
On February 9, 2022, San Francisco mayor London Breed gave her State of the City address. Though rousing, she admitted how bad the situation is and that she is committed to assertively hiring more officers.
So who are these potential candidates?
Angry Citizens Sound Off About Crime
Breed is not the only city official who has recognized the crisis of insufficient officers. I've been hearing about it for years, from community leaders and members of the police department.
Alarm bells have grown far louder in recent months, however. Not only is SFPD down a shocking number of officers, but many more are in the pipeline for retirement. Some officers are moving away to serve in areas where they don’t have to deal with San Francisco’s police commission. The restrictions these activist commissioners have placed on officers has made policing harder, more dangerous, and less effective. (Alas, another story, for another day.)
Retired SFPD Deputy Chief Ann Mannix and Deputy Attorney General and former prosecutor Thomas Ostly spoke at a recent community meeting entitled, Off The Record: A "Law and Order" Dialogue.
The room was packed with citizens distraught about what is happening in the city. The constant car and home break-ins, catalytic converter theft, strong-arm robberies, rampant shoplifting, drug dealing and so much more has made San Francisco seem utterly lawless. And in some ways, hopeless.
SFPD’s Compelling Call to Action
I began to turn my brain off. It’s just too painful.
But what Mannix said in response, forcefully and almost pleadingly, caught my attention hard.
To paraphrase: “Tell everybody SFPD needs you. The police force offers an exciting, fulfilling career but the most important thing is that you are needed. Tell your friends, share it with your kids.”
A lieutenant in the back of the room chimed in, explaining how there used to be lines around Bill Graham Civic Auditorium with hopeful new officers waiting to take the test. Today SFPD can't fill an entire class. The latest graduating academy class swore in a mere 13 new officers.
Their words triggered a profound emotional response. We need help, now. Too many innocent victims are being made to wait for response and resolution, if it comes at all. Too many criminals are allowed to wreak havoc in our neighborhoods.
This is why people join hard battles, risks be damned. I thought of the brave Kurdish women who joined all female militias to fight in the Syrian civil war against the Islamic State. (Yes, I can be overly dramatic. Forgive me.)
I was gripped with JFK fervor: “Ask not what your San Francisco can do for you – ask what you can do for your San Francisco.” Endlessly complaining that nothing is getting done is an agitating waste of time.
The morning after that meeting I logged onto the SFPD website and completed the preliminary application.
Everyone Wants to be Wanted
Out of all the strange things I’ve done, this is top-tier odd. Becoming a police officer is no joke. It’s not cosplay. There are real dangers and real consequences.
Candidly, I don’t know if I would be an asset. I’m not a 25-year old (not by a long, long stretch). I've been on a number of ride-alongs and beat patrols, and was astounded by how much the officers had to memorize and the protocol they had to follow. My only experience is being a member of the Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team, a wonderful volunteer organization that helps the force conduct basic tasks like traffic control assistance. Regarding physical requirements, I’m strong - but strong enough?
As soon as I took that first step, however, I was wrapped in a warm embrace from everybody at SFPD.
“What can we do to make this happen?,” a dear friend on the force asked me. I received calls and emails from recruitment, asking how they could help me take the next step.
I suddenly felt like the only girl who bothered to show up at the high school dance.
Attention Tech Workers!
Even if the police force isn’t the right fit for me, I can’t help but wonder who would be a better match.
And then it hit me. How about you, laid-off tech workers?
The San Francisco Standard reported that so far in 2023, 18 San Francisco-based companies have cut nearly 12,000 employees from their payroll. Even if a small percentage of you transitioned into law enforcement, SFPD would be in great shape. Heck, we could fill the empty spots with ex-Salesforce workers alone, since roughly 750 who are living in the city have just been let go.
Many of you are young and fit. You might welcome the change from being maligned as a “tech bro” to becoming the good cops we so desperately need to get this city back to a place of peace and pride. The salary of a sworn officer is between $103,116 and $147,628. Not bad at all, and the benefits are sweet.
I truly don’t know if I should become a cop. I’m thinking about it, as well as other ways I can be of service. If I’m not next to you in an academy class, though, I hope to see you protecting the public and making a positive difference in the community soon.
Erica the Brave.
I thought you just had a kid? I'm sure you could make it onto the force, but I think your talents are better used to communicate, teach, and lead.
While helping people is very rewarding, dealing with the worse of society's problems is stressful, and can burn a person out. I think not enough is being done to protect the cops from the aspects of the job that causes so many to drink, drug, and die.
A noble position and interesting article. If you're committed to staying, at the very minimum, you need to find ways to effect public policy which has led to the dearth in police staffing. That would immediately lead us back to the comments I've made in other recent articles here; A runaway government where policy becomes detached from the consequences. You can't save the world and sometimes harsh policing is what is necessary to protect law abiding citizens. Personally I pass on the benefits, the risk, and the responsibility. I stay as far away from government as possible. Likewise we strive to stay as far away from the disastrous effects of progressive policies. When crime shows up, good people flee. That's just the way it is. There is a saying; don't clutch to mistakes just because you spent so much time and effort making them. Like many Colorado natives, we're seriously considering leaving this state now that it has become a magnet for progressive issues and illegal migrants. Crime is up. Identity confusion is out of control. We lost public schools, we lost higher educational opportunities. We're simply not diverse or indigenous enough. Literally everyone except us are identified as protected classes with special privileges. No bail policies has left us as the nations number one auto theft state. To the point police can know where stolen cars are, do nothing, and citizens face the choice of becoming criminals themselves to steal their own cars back at great personal risk. Legitimate south of the border gangsters are literally everywhere, teardrop tattoos and all. In a perfect world, if you had adequate policing authority, you'd skip all those people and move straight to the top to arrest the politicians for dereliction of duty and violating their oath to uphold the constitution. What's the point of official policing when there are no real consequences to being caught committing crime? That's why nobody shows up, they can not reconcile the issue within their personal moral peramiters, and separate the ethical implications of wanting to serve to assist in a reduced crime and safer community, while also serving the will of corrupt criminal politicians and their non profit groups whom readily circumvent all rule of law and legislative intent with their unlimited slush funds otherwise known as earmarked grant monies for non profits. You'd make more headway starting a non profit yourself, who's sole focus was to audit other non profits and get them shut down. Only at that point would voting matter again, and hopefully you could scrape by enough support to elect no politicians whom actually respected the constitution and Article 1 Section X.