After years of struggling to hire and retain police officers, Mayor Todd Gloria says it may be time to consider a new approach to closing the shortage: a merger with the Harbor Police.
“We have a Harbor Police department that consists of about 140 police officers that basically has overlapping jurisdiction,” Gloria said at a Politifest panel Saturday. The panel also featured Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera and Aimee Faucett, president of Agenda Setting and previously the chief of staff for Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
The San Diego Police Department has a staffing shortfall of about 200 officers. Gloria said the city currently has about 1,822 officers, and aims to get to 2,000. He also suggested the city use drones and AI technology to save officers time…