A local think tank that advocates for labor issues has taken up the city’s police retention issue, arguing that the city does not collect enough in taxes or fees to pay for the demands of a major city – such as a solid police force.
The city of San Diego has lost a number of officers to retirement, per the national trend, but has also seen many cops leave for higher paying law enforcement agencies.
The Center on Policy Initiatives is arguing that San Diego cops handle a heavier workload than officers in other big cities – and at a lower cost.
As a result of the low number of police officers, the number of crimes that an average police officer in the City of San Diego encounters is the highest among all the largest cities in California.
Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed his own plan for attracting and keeping officers, but has refused to offer a raise to cops this year. Instead, Sanders will be hiring a consultant to spearhead a recruiting campaign and to study the wages and benefits offered to other local agencies before next year’s negotiations with the police union.
You can view CPI’s report here.