City is struggling to retain police officers
On May 20, City Council received an informational report on the City’s workforce vacancies, recruitment, and retention efforts. The report highlighted Alameda’s generally healthy staffing and efficient hiring practices while also focusing on the need to improve police department staffing. Although the City had an average monthly vacancy rate of 10.3% in 2024, the Alameda Police Officers Association had a 24.4% vacancy rate.
Specialized police units are understaffed, with traffic enforcement having zero officers and the Community Resource Unit and Bureau of Support Services having one officer each. In-progress hiring is expected to increase the number of police officers from 69 to 72. However, City Manager Jennifer Ott said that economic uncertainty and revenue declines necessitate putting a hold on further hiring to focus on supporting current staff.
City vacancy, recruitment, and retention efforts
AB 2561 requires public agencies to report on staffing vacancies, recruitment, retention, and hiring obstacles. It also allows recognized employee units with 20% or more vacancies to present additional information. The Alameda Police Officers Association (APOA) met this threshold.
Acting Human Resources Director Noelle White reported that the average monthly vacancy rate in 2024 was 10.3%, within a normal range of 10-15%. Without APOA, the vacancy rate drops to 7.7%. However, APOA had a 24.4% vacancy rate, followed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (12.1%) and the Electrical Utility Professionals of Alameda (11.3%), both of which were impacted by allocated but unfunded positions.
Human Resources (HR) filled 122 positions in 2024 with an average time-to-hire of 84 days, 35 days faster than comparable agencies. They implemented reforms such as online testing platforms, external interview raters, and updated job classifications to improve efficiency and reduce bias.
The City experienced 98 vacancies, including 42 voluntary separations for varied reasons such as remote work needs, proximity to home, or better opportunities. The attrition rate was 12.3%, although excluding APOA, it was 9.9%. HR received positive feedback on the 4-day work week and telecommuting as key retention tools.
Ms. White noted that HR and the Alameda Police Department work closely, conducting bi-monthly oral boards and full-day assessment centers to screen police applicants efficiently. Key focuses of ongoing labor negotiations include competitive compensation and improving working conditions, with retention a key theme.
Police staffing challenges
Kevin Horikoshi, President of APOA, discussed police staffing challenges, noting that being understaffed is not unique to Alameda. Many Bay Area police departments are struggling to fill open positions due to a shortage of qualified candidates, the high cost of living, and concerns about job stress and safety. Alameda received 695 applications for police positions in 2024, but the hiring rate was approximately 2% due to the rigorous screening process including oral boards, background checks, and physical and psychological exams. The $75,000 hiring bonus increased applicant volume but didn’t eliminate barriers like poor test performance or failed background checks.
While the City has authorized 88 sworn officers, only 69 are employed. Specialized units are understaffed, with traffic enforcement having no officers and the Community Resources Unit and Bureau of Support Services having one each. From June 2021 to May 2025, the City hired 48 new officers, 22 of whom received a $75,000 hiring bonus. However, the department lost 48 officers in the same period, plus five recruits who failed out of the academy.
Of the 48 departures:
- 16 left for other agencies, with many trained at the City’s expense.
- 10 retired.
- 11 took disability retirements.
- Six were released.
- Five left policing altogether.
Reasons officers left included a desire for higher pay and better benefits, such as a take-home vehicle; lack of career development; heavy workloads, and limited specialized assignments due to staffing shortages. Officers have expressed frustration with limited opportunities outside patrol work, impacting morale and skill development.
The shortage affects traffic enforcement, criminal investigations (with only two detectives managing hundreds of cases each), and overall officer wellness and effectiveness. Officer Hirokoshi urged the City to remain competitive in compensation and benefits, creatively explore new incentives, and recognize the broader impacts of understaffing on public safety and community service quality.
Economic challenges
City Manager Ott explained that the City’s current revenues do not fully cover expenses due to declining revenues and rising operational costs. As a result, the City is relying on reserves and must be cautious. “Given the economic situation, our revenues don’t fully cover our operating expenses, and we’ve had to use some of our excess fund balance to cover that deficit,” Ott said.
Because of the fiscal situation, Ott said the City is proposing a temporary cap of 72 sworn officers rather than a full staff of 88. She emphasized supporting and retaining current staff during this time rather than expanding: “We really want to focus on our existing employees.”
Ott reaffirmed the City’s commitment to resume hiring when financial conditions improve and noted that public safety has not suffered despite lower staffing levels: “We are seeing double-digit reductions in crime with the current staffing.”
Council comment
Councilmember Tracy Jensen expressed concern about having no officers dedicated to traffic enforcement, considering it critical to public safety. She also highlighted that having only two detectives, each with hundreds of cases, could compromise the quality and timeliness of investigations. She urged thoughtful planning to ensure officers are deployed effectively.
Officer Horikoshi responded that the police department still does traffic enforcement but relies on overtime to get it done; sometimes, patrol officers write citations during their workday. City Manager Ott added that some newly hired officers will be dedicated to traffic enforcement and investigations.
Councilmember Tony Daysog argued that reducing officer positions from 88 to 72 was a disproportionate response to current economic concerns: “At the lowest point of the Great Recession we had to make the decision of cutting budget-authorized positions from 92 to 88. No one says that the (current) economic difficulty comes anywhere near what happened in 2009, 2010, and 2011.”
Daysog warned that cutting budgeted positions would worsen existing challenges with officer turnover and limited assignment opportunities. He raised the possibility that reducing police positions could result in reprogramming funds to other departments, making restoring positions harder.
When Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft challenged Councilmember Daysog on his assertion, he acknowledged that he was speaking hypothetically. Still, he cautioned against entrenching understaffing, calling for fiscal transparency and careful evaluation before reducing staff, which could result in long-term repercussions.
Councilmember Greg Boller countered that the proposed staffing level of 72 officers expands current staffing levels and reflects Council input: “The City presented us with a budget… that wasn’t about cutting anything. It was actually about expanding police services… and that became the new staff recommended budget.”
Boller affirmed that enhancements in other departments were limited to essential health and safety functions, reinforcing that police staffing was a top priority. He noted that the City is using reserves to support the budget and warned against going further due to economic uncertainty: “We are talking about going into our excess reserves by about half over two years. …To do more would not be fiscally appropriate.”
He praised the police chief’s leadership, particularly in using technology, data-driven approaches, and geographic strategies, crediting those innovations with double-digit crime reductions.
Vice Mayor Michele Pryor said she supported the continued focus on recruitment and retention despite positive crime trends: “We don’t want to essentially punish the police department for doing a really great job.”
Council vote
City Council unanimously voted to accept the informational report, incorporating the feedback discussed.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.
