SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Thanks to a historic budget deficit in the city, the San Francisco Police Department has ordered a 22% cut to overtime hours at all police stations.
“Last year, the police department asked for like $95 million for extra overtime. That’s a tough thing to chew on when you’re cutting other departments like health and other areas that are vital to the city,” said ABC7 Eyewitness News insider Phil Matier.
Matier says while the city needs the police department to save money, Mayor Daniel Lurie will be watching to make sure it doesn’t lead to a spike in crime, especially after it fell to the lowest level in decades last year.
“A lot of the anti-crime measures, especially the drug crackdowns in the mid-Market area, the use of drones, the tactical response in retail crime, a lot of that is paid for with overtime,” he said.
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There are many people in San Francisco who worry about what the cuts to the overtime budget will do to SFPD.
However, there are also voices within City Hall who say it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
One of those voices is Supervisor Shamann Walton.
“Sounds like a good sign. I hope that it’s real,” Walton said.
Walton says the police department has gone past its overtime budget many times in recent years and that every city department needs to do its part.
He also believes public safety comes from more than just policing.
“We have to make sure we have the right resources for prevention,” Walton said. “We have to make sure we have the right resources for intervention. We have to make sure we have the right resources for mental health.”
Over the two upcoming fiscal years, San Francisco is facing a budget deficit of nearly $900 million.
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