Chief Bill Scott Welcomes Largest SFPD Academy Class in Three Years 23-075
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott welcomed the largest academy class in three years on Monday, a promising step in ensuring the SFPD rebuilds its ranks to better protect and serve the city amid an ongoing staffing shortage.
The SFPD’s 280th Basic Academy Class has 32 recruits, the largest class since 2020 when the COVID pandemic caused widespread challenges with hiring and retaining police officers in San Francisco and the rest of California.
“I am overjoyed as I look on at this class of recruits,” Chief Scott said. “Our recruitment unit has worked hard to streamline the hiring process and double down on the quality of applicants as well as the quantity. I thank them for their efforts. This class represents a new generation of potential police officers, who are now beginning their journeys in learning the skills and values of what it means to be a San Francisco Police Officer.”
While the SFPD remains over 570 officers short of its recommended staffing levels, the 280th Basic Academy Class will help move the City in the right direction.
“Improving public safety in San Francisco starts with addressing our police staffing shortage so we have more officers in our neighborhoods and on the streets keeping residents, small business, and visitors safe,” said Mayor London Breed. “Interest in the Department has increased significantly over the last several months, and this class reflects that growing interest and the hard work our department has put in to focus on recruitment. This Academy class is the largest we’ve seen in over three years, and it’s just the start. We will sustain our focus on recruitment and retention so that San Francisco can be an even safer City for all.”
The SFPD has recently taken steps to increase hiring, including shortening hiring timelines, expediting testing, and streamlining lateral hiring.
Last year, the department received 1,756 applications and hired 64 recruits. Year-to-date, the SFPD has received 1,481 applications and has hired 47 recruits.
Over the next 34 weeks, the 280th Basic Academy Class will go through California Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) mandated training along with added classroom and field training uniquely tailored to the City of San Francisco.
The class will learn the SFPD’s values of policing with dignity and respect, along with community engagement, Implicit Bias Training, De-escalation, and crisis intervention tactics.