San Jose: San José Mayor Liccardo Responds to Claims About Current State of San José Police Department
The Californer/10204724

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2022

Media Contact:
Rachel Davis, Chief Communications Officer, Office of Mayor Sam Liccardo, rachel.davis@sanjoseca.gov

SAN JOSÉ, CA - San José Mayor Sam Liccardo responded today to claims from the San José Police Officers Association (SJPOA) about the current state of the San José Police Department (SJPD). He released the following statement:

"A San José Police officer's average annual salary, including overtime, exceeds $189,000, the third highest among the Bay Area's 17 largest police departments.   That's why we have been successful in expanding SJPD's ranks by more than 220 officers since 2017, and we have the lowest vacancy rate (2.6%) in a decade. The police union is doing its job advocating for its members amid contract negotiations, but it's the City's job to stand up for our residents, and to attract and retain officers, with good wages without capitulating to union demands that our taxpayers cannot afford – as we have seen happen before."

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As said in the City's response to the SJPOA, over the last decade, the City of San José has continued to greatly invest in the Police Department, despite SJPOA President stating "...our department is flatlining, and we need our leaders to act now to resuscitate the SJPD,".
  • The average pay of an employee represented by the SJPOA is $189,200 (including non-pensionable pays, POST and overtime), the highest of any union in the City.
  • Of the 17 cities surveyed, the San José Police Department has the third highest total pay.  
  • Since 2021, the City of San José has hired 208 officers, resulting in an extremely low vacancy rate of 2.56%, or 30 sworn positions out of 1,173 budgeted sworn positions. This includes 20 new police officers that were added as of July 1 as part of the 2022-2023 Adopted Budget.
  • The budget for Police Department staffing (sworn and non-sworn) has increased by 50% from 2014-2015 to 2022-2023..

Through all this, the POA is demanding a 14% pay increase (including an additional pay for training) over two years (8% in 2022-2023, 6% 2023-2024) and a $5,000 bonus.

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The SJPOA also claimed there were 206 separations since January 2021, however, City records show that there were only 165 separations, 86 of which were retirements. Of the remaining 79, three were deaths, 11 were terminations, two transferred to civilian positions, and three were resignations in lieu of termination. 21 resigned during the Field Officer Training (FTO) program. This leaves approximately 39 resignations of Police Officers not in the FTO program.

Read the City's full response here.

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About the City of San José
With more than one million residents, San José comprises the 10th largest city in the United States, and one of its most diverse cities. San José's transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world's greatest concentration of technology talent and development.

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