Due to a staff shortage, San Francisco police officers are being forced to work overtime, according to a report.

Due to a decrease in new hires, San Francisco police officers are being forced to work overtime, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Over the past three years, the number of police officers receiving overtime pay has increased significantly, despite a decrease in staffing at the department.

Despite a city law limiting full-time employees to 520 overtime hours per fiscal year, except for critical staffing shortages that allow the city's director of human resources to raise the cap for specific departments, the Chronicle reported a significant increase in overtime hours worked by city employees.

"Over the past few years, the police department's overtime cap has been increased several times, reaching a current limit of 2,000. However, exceptions are made in certain situations for overages beyond this amount."

Since 2013, the highest earnings by a city employee in San Francisco was made by a police sergeant who earned over $400K in overtime pay.

According to the Chronicle, the number of police officers receiving overtime pay of more than $100,000 increased from 131 to 493 between the July 2021-June 2022 and July 2023-June 2024 fiscal years.

The Chronicle reported that studies indicate that working overtime shifts can negatively impact police officers' performance.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association president issued a warning about the rise in overtime hours for police officers.

Tracy McCray stated that it is an "essential but unsustainable practice that must be tackled promptly."

"To avoid a catastrophic cut to police services, the City must either resolve the staffing crisis or implement overtime for officers. However, most officers would prefer to take their scheduled vacations and spend time with their families rather than work long hours of overtime."

The San Francisco Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Proposition B, a measure passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, aims to address the police force's staffing shortage by requiring a minimum staffing level that is funded through a new or amended tax.

In February, the Chronicle published a harsh critique of San Francisco officials, stating that the measure was "unnecessarily complex."

The city needs more police officers due to a shortage among the city's police force, according to the Chronicle.

In 2020, several city leaders, including Democratic San Francisco Mayor London Breed, cut police funding and redirected $120 million to other city initiatives.

The city has increased police spending, but the department is still down nearly 600 officers and only has 75% of the officers needed to meet workload demands, as announced in April 2023.