Plan to Boost S.D. Police Force Unveiled

Responding to what police officials say is a city “turning more violent,” the city manager Wednesday unveiled a plan to significantly increase the number of police officers, along with several revenue-producing options to raise the more than $62 million needed to hire the new officers.

The proposals, outlined to members of the City Council’s Public Services and Safety Committee, drew favorable reactions, particularly after Police Department officials described them as the best remedy to fight rising crime in San Diego.

Assistant Police Chief Norm Stamper, noting that homicides, drug offenses, gang activity and other serious crimes are increasing rapidly, warned that the city’s relatively small police force is finding it difficult to keep up.

“This city is in fact turning more violent,” he said.

Despite the gloomy picture, some council members were hesitant to seek voter approval of a massive tax increase to raise the police-officer ratio from 1.62 sworn officers per 1,000 city residents to two officers per 1,000.

Under the proposal presented by the city manager’s office and the police hierarchy, $62.2 million would have to be raised to pay for phasing in 440 new officers, and equipment for them, over 3 years. Each year thereafter, $49.1 million would be needed to maintain that number of officers.

According to police statistics, San Diego is the seventh-largest city in the nation but ranks ninth among the nation’s top cities in the number of officers protecting every 1,000 residents. In California, five cities--San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland--have higher officer-resident ratios.

The Police Department now has 2,447 employees operating under a $128-million budget.