By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A San Francisco sheriff’s deputy received about $903,000 in total 2025 compensation, including roughly $440,000 in overtime, during a record year for department overtime spending.
- Two law enforcement employees earned more than $500,000 in overtime alone last year — the two highest overtime totals in city records dating to 2017.
- The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office is 137 deputies short of approved staffing, while the Police Department is short more than 500 officers.
- Mayor Daniel Lurie ordered a 22% reduction in police station overtime hours in March; the sheriff’s office is projected to exceed its overtime budget by $19 million this fiscal year.
- Officials cite severe staffing shortages and expanded duties, including in courthouses and hospitals, as key drivers of the overtime totals.
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco sheriff’s deputy received approximately $903,000 in total compensation in 2025, including roughly $440,000 in overtime, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. The payout came during a record-setting year for overtime pay among the city’s police officers and sheriff’s deputies.
A police sergeant earned $523,000 in overtime and a senior sheriff’s deputy earned $505,000, the highest two overtime totals in city records reviewed by the Chronicle dating back to 2017.
Sheriff’s office and police department officials attribute the surge in overtime to declining staffing levels and expanded responsibilities, including coverage at courthouses and hospitals. The sheriff’s office remains 137 deputies below approved full staffing and is also struggling to hire civilian employees, while the police department is more than 500 officers short of its optimum staffing target.
In March, Mayor Daniel Lurie ordered a 22% reduction in overtime hours at police stations, according to the Chronicle. Despite that directive, the sheriff’s office was on track to exceed its overtime budget by $19 million by the end of the 2026 fiscal year, per a city controller’s report cited in the Chronicle’s reporting.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said many deputies and staff volunteer for overtime shifts to maintain operations, though mandatory overtime remains necessary to fill gaps. Sheriff Paul Miyamoto has reduced mandatory overtime drafts to two days per week in an effort to improve morale, and the agency has temporarily reassigned recruits to administrative duties to help offset overtime costs.