Police-Staffing Crisis
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Pages 23 – 35 SFPOA Election Information Official Publication Of The and Candidate Statements c C SAN FRANCISCO POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION This Publication was Produced and Printed in California, USA ✯ Buy American ✯ Support Local Business VOLUME 52, NUMBER 1 SAN FRANCISCO, JANUARY 2020 www.sfpoa.org The Crisis No One is Talking About ment is offering $15,000 for lateral of- that started the academy finished their clear signal that the Department expects ficers. Here in California, the cities of field training to become fully “street things to get worse. San Mateo and Seaside just approved ready” officers. Meaning, at that rate, While there’s been lip service that we $30,000 signing bonuses, Palo Alto of- we’d have to have 400 applicants pass need more officers, an actual funded plan fers $25,000, San Diego offers a $15,000 background and begin the academy just and a realistic strategy to implement an bonus, Monterey and Santa Cruz offer to tread water. aggressive hiring effort does not exist. $20,000, and Fremont offers $10,000. Treading water without a lifeline This should concern us all. The competition for officers is fierce isn’t a survival skill, it’s simply a way to Our elected leaders and the Chief and is fueled by many factors: a huge prolong drowning. need to treat our staffing crisis as exactly wave of retirements, an anti-police nar- When I wrote above that we had that: a crisis. They cannot afford to wait rative that is both keeping people from approximately 1,800 officers, it’s not an any longer. Consider that it takes approx- entering into the profession as well as accurate measure of the number of of- imately 18-24 months to get a candidate pushing them out, a strong economy, ficers able to respond to 9-1-1 calls. For from application to completion of our and a lower interest in pursuing policing example, 172 officers are assigned to the Field Training program. Which means as a career in general. It’s a perfect storm Airport, over 100 officers are out due to that any plan put into effect today won’t with catastrophic impacts: applications injury (this is a typical number) and over have an impact in our neighborhoods are down, resignations are up and a huge 500 are assigned as investigators or in for two years. By Tony Montoya, retirement bubble hangs over police administrative functions. Generally, we Finally, our leaders must take into President agencies. have between 1,000 to 1,200 officers who account how their actions are perceived This is especially true in San Fran- are working the street and responding by current and prospective officers. Yell- We’re in the midst of a police-staffing cisco. In 2018, we had 171 officers leave to emergencies. ing “F@%K the POA” while flipping the crisis. You wouldn’t know it, because SFPD, as of last month, we had 152 The lack of hiring impacts us in one bird at a campaign event sends a despi- policy makers are not talking about it. leave in 2019. The 2018 loss of officers area: patrol. That is why the announce- cable message to everyone who wears, Police unions and chiefs alike have been is approximately 9.5% of the SFPD’s ap- ment that the Department wants to or is thinking about wearing, a badge. sounding the alarm bell, but no one is proximate sworn staff of 1,800 officers. change its 9-1-1 response time goal from It’s not exactly the video material for a really listening. While, that number is scary, here’s what a public goal of 4 minutes to 8 minutes is recruitment video. Creating a hostile How bad is it? Well, bad enough that should scare you more. Of the last two disturbing. Especially since measuring work environment is no way to recruit or usually tight-fisted public agencies are police academy classes that have gone the true response time shows the SFPD retain quality officers, who quite frankly, throwing around signing bonuses to through both academy coursework is averaging 7 minutes. By accepting a are in high-demand across the country, lure officers from one agency to another and field training, only 43% of recruits longer wait time for police response to especially here in the Bay Area. (laterals). The Seattle Police Depart- the most pressing emergencies sends a Epic Change in Providing Benefits for Occupationally Injured SF Public Safety Employees By Mike Hebel, SFPOA Welfare Officer Compensation Division, Department of timely, efficient and fair resolution of all trades over twenty-five years ago, the Human Resources, and Employee Rela- disputes that arise in connection with a agreements typically provide for: (1) an On July 1, 2019 San Francisco public tions Division, signed historic Workers’ workers’ injury claim. alternative dispute resolution system safety employees (police officers and Compensation Alternative Dispute Reso- that supplements or replaces the State fire fighters) began to enjoy the same or History of “Carve Outs” lution Labor-Management Agreements WCAB system; (2) usually provides for similar workers’ compensation “carve In California any large employer, (“workers compensation carve outs”) mediation and arbitration through the outs” that are now in place for Fresno private or public, whose employees which was adopted by the City’s Board trial level; (3) an exclusive, agreed upon, police officers, Richmond police offi- belong to a union or association may of Supervisors. A carve-out is an alterna- list of doctors to provide medical care to cers and firefighters, and Los Angeles negotiate and contract with them to opt tive to the dispute resolution procedures injured workers; (4) an exclusive, agreed police officers. In December 2018 the out (“carve out”) of certain procedural in the state workers’ compensation sys- upon, list of qualified medical examin- SFPOA and SF Firefighters — Local 798, parts of the State’s workers’ compensa- tem which is created through a collective ers to provide medical-legal analysis of after nearly one year of discussions and tion system (CA Labor Code section bargaining agreement. disputes; (5) a joint labor-management negotiations with the City’s Workers 3201.7). The obligation to provide com- Now for the first time since the Cali- program oversight committee; (6) a re- pensation remains, but the parties can fornia legislature established, in 1913, turn to work program; and (7) frequently agree to alternative methods of dispute a workers’ compensation program, provides for a sharing of the cost savings resolution. The California legislature SF police officers and firefighters will resulting from the use of the “carve-out” has consistently expanded the rights of have a seat at the table on how workers’ agreement. the parties and encouraged alternative compensation benefits are delivered to The goals of a carve-out usually dispute resolution. its members. First started in the construction Benefits such as full-pay disability CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 (DP), medical care, temporary and per- manent disability compensation, and industrial disability retirements are not changed. Rights such as the right to engage an attorney, enjoy all the presumptive injury protections (heart, back, cancer, etc.), and receive fair and accurate medical evaluations are not changed. Substantive rights have not been changed nor has compensation been diminished. What has changed is the manner in which these benefits are provided. These Agreements provide for timely and ef- Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA (USPS #882-320) Deputy Chief Greg Yee, Ombudsperson Maria Mariotto, Mike Hebel, and Sean ficient determinations on workers’ com- Perdomo at the SF Firefighters Local 798 headquarters following the November 22, pensation claims, timely and efficient 2019 Joint Labor Management Committee meeting where the first 5 months of the access to high-quality medical care, and workers’ compensation carve-out program were evaluated. Page 2 POA Journal January 2020 Minutes of the December 18, 2019, Board of Directors Meeting Call to Order Presentation by the Salesian Nominations for the Executive November 2019 and December 2019. 1. Sergeant-at-Arms Tracy McCray Boys Club of San Francisco Board (alphabetically) While nothing has been decided, called the meeting to order at 1206 6. Randy DeMartini made a financial 9. President all options will be weighed before hours. request of $5,000 for the Club, which Rich Cibotti making a final decision. There was a benefits the club, as well as CYO Tony Montoya discussion amongst the Board. Pledge of Allegiance events and provides access to kids Joe Valdez 15. President Montoya discussed the 2. Sgt.-at-Arms Tracy McCray led the for various programs. Vice President recent news article in the Chronicle Board in the Pledge of Allegiance. that projects a $425 million deficit Presentation by Member Kevin Lyons Tracy McCray asked for a moment by the City over the next two years. Sean Thompson with regards Tracy McCray of silence for our service men and While this is very preliminary, Presi- to issue with AFLAC Secretary women, as well as for law enforce- dent Montoya believes that raises Matt Lobre ment, who have lost their lives serv- 7. Sean indicated that he bought a will still be forthcoming this July 1, Kevin Worrell ing our country and communities. policy from AFLAC in 2017 that was 2020 per the MOU. supposed to cover ON/OFF duty Treasurer Swearing in of new representatives 16. President Montoya reinforced the incidents. Sean recently sustained an Sean Perdomo 1700-hour Department Bulletin, and 3. Parliamentarian Mike Hebel swore on-duty injury and when he went to Louis Wong re-emphasized that the bulletin still in the three new representatives. file the on-duty claim with AFLAC, Sgt At Arms stands.