Proposition E - Police Staffing

Summary

Under the Charter, the San Francisco Police Department must maintain at least 1,971 full duty sworn officers. The proposed Charter amendment would eliminate the minimum staffing requirement of 1,971 sworn full-duty officers and instead require the Police Department to prepare a report describing the current number of full-duty sworn officers and recommending staffing levels of full-duty sworn officers. The Police Commission would be required to hold a public hearing to consider the staffing report when approving the Police Department’s proposed budget every fiscal year, but would not be required to accept or adopt any of the recommendations in the report.

A "YES" vote on Proposition E is a vote in favor of eliminating the requirement that the San Francisco Police Department retain at least 1,971 full duty officers on its staff. A "YES" vote is also a vote in favor of requiring the Department to submit a report to the Police Commission on staffing needs, which the Commission would consider when approving the Department's budget.

A "NO" vote on Proposition E is a vote against eliminating the requirement that the San Francisco Police Department retain at least 1,971 full duty officers on its staff. A "NO" vote is also a vote against requiring the Department to submit a report to the Police Commission on staffing needs, which the Commission would consider when approving the Department's budget.

Arguments

"In 1994, voters approved a Charter Amendment, which required the City to maintain a minimum of 1,971 full-duty sworn officers. This staffing requirement is arbitrary and does not allow flexibility to go up or down in response to data, the needs of our city, or crime rates.", in support of Proposition E (Learn more)

"The Mayor and other leaders have announced that they are going to join the growing number of cities dispatching teams of social workers and substance use counselors to respond to calls seeking their skills and service when appropriate. The minimum staffing levels in the City Charter make this transition more difficult.", in support of Proposition E (Learn more)

"This measure was placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors to CUT the number of police officers serving our neighborhoods. It will enable the Board to reduce SFPD funding, which will result in staff shortages, increased response times, and elimination of essential training programs. San Francisco is experiencing the highest property crime rates in the nation (including burglaries and larceny), and homicides are increasing. We need MORE police officers, NOT FEWER!", in opposition to Proposition E (Learn more)

"This rigid requirement limits our ability to respond to budget deficits and fully fund critical services like healthcare and education. Our understanding of the role of policing has evolved. Trained, unarmed professionals should handle many situations now handled by police and avoid use of force.", in support of Proposition E (Learn more)

Measure Details