In San Francisco, Some Cops And Firefighters Make Nearly Half A Million A Year

By Tom Gantert, Elyse Apel and Brett Rowland | The Center Square, The Center Square California

August 8, 2022

(The Center Square) – An assistant chief of the fire department for the city of San Francisco made $458,223 in 2021, thanks in part to $193,883 in overtime as he led a group of 11 employees of the fire department who made more than $400,000 that year.

One firefighter made $257,072 in overtime and had a gross pay of $413,844 in 2021. A deputy sheriff made $296,652 in overtime in 2021 and had gross pay of $451,269.

"The city has increased the number of full-time employees in the police and fire departments from 2012 to 2021. The number of police department employees has increased 14% to 3,048 employees over that nine-year span and the fire department has 11% more FTEs from 2012 to 2021," according to budget documents.

The city budgeted $374.4 million for the fire department and $563.5 million for the police department in 2021. But the city went over budget by $35.8 million in the fire department and by $9 million in the police department in 2021.

The city spent $310 million on all overtime in 2021.

The San Francisco mayor’s office didn’t immediately return an email asking for comment on the amount of overtime paid to the police and fire departments.

The focus of the work of The Center Square California is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.