At the end of June, 35 officers including several captains retired. That is about three times as many officers retiring more than usual during the month of June.
The police chief says the timing was linked to the end of a city program that had encouraged veteran officers to delay their retirement. "An opportunity presented itself, the officers took advantage of it and now we're in the process of taking in three academy classes a year to replace these officers," San Francisco police chief Greg Suhr said.
Suhr says the department will be hiring at least 150 more officers a year over the next six years.