Audit reveals SFPD overspent by millions due to potential sick, overtime abuse
SAN FRANCISCO - A recent audit of the San Francisco Police Department criticizes how the agency is spending funds, accusing the department of overspending by millions and an apparent "lack of financial control" when it comes to officers' overtime and sick time.
Supervisor Dean Preston, who also chairs the government audit and oversight committee, requested the audit after the department overspent its overtime budget by $55.6 million in March 2023. The overspending caused the Board of Supervisors to appropriate $25 million in extra funds to cover SFPD's overspending, Preston's office said.
The audit comes as San Francisco faces a large deficit.
"As the city faces a serious deficit and services for our most vulnerable neighbors are on the chopping block, it is more important than ever for the next administration and incoming Board of Supervisors to ensure that the police department follows the law and addresses its runaway overtime spending," Preston said in a statement.
The department is accused of violating overtime policies and failing to provide oversight of overtime usage and approvals, among other things.
$108 million spent on overtime in 5 years
The audit looked at the department's spending from 2018-19 through 2022-23. The audit found that over $108 million was spent on overtime in that period.
The audit also claims that a few officers were behind nearly a third of the department's overtime hours and that some lieutenants and sergeants would sign off on their own overtime.
Sick and injury-related leave increased by 77% over the five years with potential abuse patterns, the audit found. Some officers allegedly would call out sick specifically at the beginning or the end of their workweek – sometimes to work private security gigs.
Others would call out sick during the weekend to avoid certain duties, according to the audit.
The Budget and Legislative Analyst office, who authored the audit, recommended 30 changes and said the San Francisco Police Department agreed with most recommendations.
KTVU reached out to the police department for a response regarding the audit's findings.
SFPD's response
SFPD said they have been critically understaffed from the COVID-19 pandemic and an overall national crisis in policing.
"We’ve been aggressively hiring and filling our academies to fill our shortage of 500 officers necessary to adequately police our city. As a necessary stopgap measure, the SFPD has been using overtime to backfill our patrol and investigation units to ensure San Francisco remains one of the safest cities in the country," said a spokeswoman for the department.
SFPD officials said as they rebuild their ranks, overtime hours will decrease, which will save the city more money and give their "incredibly hard-working officers a much-needed break."