HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-07-28; Community-Police Engagement Commission; 03; Review of SANDAG CJ Bulletin: Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023-24Meeting Date: July 28, 2025
To: Community-Police Engagement Commission
From: Faviola Medina, Director of Constituent & Clerk Services
Staff Contact: Reid Shipley, Assistant Chief of Police
reid.shipley@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2257
Subject: Review of SANDAG CJ Bulletin: Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego
Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023-24
District: All
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1.SANDAG CJ Bulletin: Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and
Staffing for FY 2023-24
Community-Police Engagement Commission
July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 1 of 26
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Public Safety
Allocations in the
San Diego Region:
Expenditures and
Staffing for FY 2023-24
April 2025
CJBULLETIN Research findings fromthe Criminal Justice Clearinghouse
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Exhibit 1
July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 2 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 2
Introduction
This annual Criminal Justice (CJ) Bulletin is part of the “Crime in the San Diego Region” series
and focuses on regional public safety allocations over the past ten years. County and
municipal public safety staffing and expenditures for FY 2023–24 are compared to FY 2014-15
(ten years), FY 2019–20 (five years), and FY 2022–23 (one year).1 Actual expenditures, adjusted
to current dollars, are used for all years presented in this report to ensure comparability
across categories and jurisdictions.2 The methodology section at the end of this bulletin
explains how the data were compiled. Specifically, this bulletin describes:
•How dollars are spent in parts of the CJ system regionally over time;
•How jurisdictions have allocated dollars for law enforcement;
•How this information is related to the population served; and
•How staffing figures are related to expenditures.
Highlights
•The region’s public safety expenditures in FY 2023–24 totaled $2.99 billion, an increase of
6% from the previous year and the first inflation-adjusted increase since FY 2019-20.
This equates to approximately $900 per resident.
•Almost half (48%) of public safety dollars spent in FY 2023–24—around $1.44 billion—was
allocated to law enforcement activities.
•Expenditures increased across all public safety categories compared to the prior year.
•On average, jurisdictions dedicated 29% of their general fund dollars to law enforcement,
with allocations ranging from 21% to 50%.
•Regionally, there were 1.32 sworn officers per 1,000 residents, with jurisdictional rates
ranging from 1.05 to 2.55.
•Nearly all law enforcement agencies reported staffing-related challenges and difficulties
during FY 2023–24.
•Across the eleven law enforcement agencies, a total of $180.87 million was spent for
overtime expenses in FY 2023–24 —exceeding the budgeted amount by approximately
$68.43 million.
1 It’s important to note that the public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact law enforcement through FY 2023–24, influencing crime trends and creating ongoing challenges with budgeting and staffing. Thus, any comparisons and analyses related to the years affected by the pandemic must take into consideration its effects on annual expenditure data. 2 Actual expenditures are updated annually for prior years based on the current Consumer Price Index (CPI) and most recent agency data. Therefore, dollar amounts presented here may vary from those presented in prior reports. More detail regarding the adjustments made to the figures is provided in the methodology section.
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 3 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 3
Public safety expenditures
In FY 2023–24, $2.99 billion were spent on local public safety efforts in the San Diego region—
the highest in a decade. When adjusting for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI),
these expenditures represent an increase of 6% from the previous year ($2.83 billion) and is
the first increase since FY 2019-20 (Figure 1 and Appendix Table 1). This one-year increase was
due in part to higher operating expenditures, such as staffing and overhead costs. The slight
five-year increase was partially due to increases in salaries and benefits and services and
supplies. Based on the 2023 population estimate for the San Diego region, the cost for public
safety per resident in FY 2023–24 was $900 (not shown).
Figure 1: Public Safety Spending in the San Diego Region FY 2014–15 through FY 2023–24
Note: Differences between FY 2019–20 and FY 2023–24 are not visible due to rounding. The highest level
of spending was recorded in FY 2023-24.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
To supplement budgets, local public safety agencies rely on grants to fund operations and
special programs. Overall, 15 agencies (including all eleven law enforcement agencies, the
District Attorney, City Attorney, Probation, and Superior Court) reported spending a total of
$76.52 million in grant funds in FY 2023–24 (3% of total expenditures).3 Grant fund
expenditures ranged from <1% (Probation, Coronado, Harbor and San Diego) to 10% (La Mesa)
of actual expenditures (Appendix Table 9).
Distribution across categories
About half (48%) of public safety dollars spent in FY 2023–24 were allocated to law
enforcement activities, while the other half was divided across six other categories, a
proportion that has been relatively stable over time (Table 1).
3 The type of additional funding received from grants was at the discretion of the reporting agencies. There may be
variability regarding what additional funding was or was not included.
$2.71 $2.71 $2.74
$2.82 $2.85
$2.99
$2.90 $2.89
$2.83
$2.99
2014–15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 4 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 4
Table 1: Allocation of Public Safety Expenditures in FY 2023–24
Category Allocated Expenditures
Law enforcement 48%
Corrections 20%
Court-related 11%
Prosecution 9%
Probation 5%
Public defense 4%
Other4 2%
Total $2,993,842,426
Note: Percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
Change across categories
In FY 2023–24, public safety spending increased across all public safety expenditures
categories (Figure 2 and Appendix Table 1). These changes are explained in more detail in the
following sections.
Figure 2: Five- and One-Year Public Safety Expenditure Changes
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
4 The “Other” category includes San Diego County’s Public Safety Executive Office, Child Support Services, Citizens’
Law Enforcement Review Board, and the City of Oceanside Harbor Police.
3%
-3%
19%
-3%
9%
-10%-9%
6%8%8%
4%
9%
5%3%
Prosecution Court
related
Public
defense
Law
enforcement
Corrections Probation
field services
& admin
Other
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5-year change 1-year change
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 5 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 5
Law enforcement
In FY 2023–24, regional law enforcement activities saw a total expenditure of just over $1.44
billion (Appendix Tables 1 and 3). This marked a 4% increase compared to the previous year,
which was the first increase for this category since FY 2019-20 (not shown). The substantial
variation in annual expenditures across the reporting agencies (excluding Harbor)5 is likely
influenced by the differing population sizes served by each jurisdiction (Figure 3).
Expenditures ranged from $16.85 million in Coronado to $586.94 million in the City of San
Diego (Figure 4 and Appendix Table 3).
Across the eleven agencies (including Harbor), ten had increased spending over the previous
fiscal year (ranging from 1% in Coronado and La Mesa, to 11% in National City) (Figure 5 and
Appendix Table 3). Oceanside was the only agency to report a decrease, with a 5% reduction
in spending. The increases in expenditures were primarily driven by rising staffing costs,
including salary increases, overtime, and higher retirement and/or healthcare benefits.
Conversely, Oceanside’s decreased spending is due to factors such as their withdrawal from
enforcement at the Harbor and their continued officer vacancies.
Figure 3: Population Estimates by
Agency in 2023
Source: SANDAG’s Population and Housing
Estimates, 2023
5 Harbor Police is not shown in Figure 3 because there is no population base related to the area served by this
agency.
Figure 4: Law Enforcement Expenditures
by Agency in FY 2023–24
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’
Expenditures
1,383,623
945,982
276,813
172,186
150,571
115,045
104,804
58,374
60,753
22,272
San Diego
Sheriff
Chula Vista
Oceanside
Escondido
Carlsbad
El Cajon
National
City
La Mesa
Coronado
$586,941,433
$454,844,317
$72,146,894
$68,277,184
$53,200,889
$47,340,192
$45,854,082
$45,080,813
$28,167,561
$23,147,002
$16,851,388
San Diego
Sheriff
Chula Vista
Oceanside
Escondido
El Cajon
Carlsbad
Harbor
National City
La Mesa
Coronado
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 6 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 6
Figure 5: One- and Five-Year Percent Changes in Law Enforcement Expenditures
by Agency
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
The proportion of FY 2023–24 general funds allocated to law enforcement for the nine
incorporated cities that maintain their own police department varied considerably across
jurisdictions, ranging from 21% in Carlsbad to 50% in El Cajon. The regional municipal average
for these nine jurisdictions was 29% (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Proportion of FY 2023–24 General Funds Allocated to Law Enforcement
by Agency
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
-6%-5%
3%
9%
-2%
-8%
<-1%
-8%
-3%-3%
-10%
8%
3%
8%
1%2%4%4%
1%
11%
-5%
4%2%
8%
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5-year change 1-year change
21%22%23%
29%32%34%
40%41%
50%
Carlsbad Coronado ChulaVista San Diego La Mesa Oceanside NationalCity Escondido El Cajon
29%
Regional
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 7 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 7
In FY 2023–24, about one fifth (22%) of the County of San Diego’s total actual expenditures
were allocated for public safety. This proportion is not included in Figure 6 because it includes
functions other than law enforcement (e.g., services provided by prosecution agencies, Public
Defense, Probation, San Diego Sheriff’s Office Detention Services and Court Services Bureau,
Public Safety Group Executive Office, Grand Jury, and Child Support Services).
Per capita funding is an additional way to examine relative spending on law enforcement
across jurisdictions. In this regard, the per capita amount spent ranged from $261 per
resident in Chula Vista to $757 in Coronado, with a regionwide average of $433 (Appendix
Table 8 and Figure 7).
Figure 7: Per Capita Law Enforcement Spending Across Agencies in FY 2023–24
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
Prosecution
This section describes spending for criminal prosecution in FY 2023–24 for two local public
agencies, the San Diego County District Attorney and the San Diego City Attorney’s Criminal
Division, both of which include victim services. Total spending for criminal prosecution in FY
2023–24 was $267.08 million, which included $240.75 million for the District Attorney’s Office
and $26.32 million for the City Attorney’s Criminal Division (Appendix Table 1). When adjusted
for inflation, expenditures over the previous year increased 3% for the District Attorney’s
Office and increased 1% for the City Attorney’s Office (Appendix Table 1). Prosecution staffing
included 1,052 staff positions from the District Attorney’s Office and 168 staff positions from
the City Attorney’s Office (Appendix Table 2).
$261
$353 $381 $397 $399 $424 $452 $483
$757
Chula
Vista
Escondido La Mesa Oceanside Carlsbad San Diego El Cajon National
City
Coronado
FY
2
0
2
3
–20
2
4
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$433
Regional
average
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 8 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 8
Salaries and benefits increased for the District Attorney’s
Office and the City Attorney’s Office, due at least in part
to the addition of new staff and an increase in costs
related to negotiated labor agreements, required
retirement contributions, and goods and services.
$267.08 million spent by
prosecution in FY 2023–24.
The increase from the prior
year was driven by new staff
and labor agreement changes.
Public defense
The Department of the Public Defender comprises four divisions: Primary Public Defender,
Alternate Public Defender, Multiple Conflicts Office and Office of Assigned Counsel—each separated by strict ethical barriers to avoid potential conflicts. The department provides
constitutionally mandated legal representation to indigent defendants, all persons at
arraignment (unless privately represented), and in some civil cases, such as mental health
matters, civil contempt, probate conservatorships and immigration removal proceedings. It is
also a California State Bar–approved provider of mandatory continuing legal education
(MCLE) credits.
Public defense spending in FY 2023–24 totaled $129.38 million (Appendix Table 1). Spending
for public defense (which includes 547 staff positions) increased 8% over the previous year
and 19% over FY 2019-20 (Figure 2 and Appendix Tables 1 and 2).
The increase stems from added personnel—including 15
new positions—to meet rising caseloads, support the
Immigrant Legal Defense Program’s first full year, expand Community Corrections services, and implement
the Community Assistance, Recovery, and
Empowerment (CARE) Act. Higher labor costs also reflect
negotiated agreements and increased County retirement
contributions.
$129.38 million spent by public
defense in FY 2023–24.
An important driver of the increase compared to prior
years was the added staffing
to address the growing
number of cases and
additional activities.
Court-related services
In FY 2023–24, court-related service expenditures totaled $321.48 million and included the
Superior Court, Sheriff’s Court Services Bureau, Grand Jury, and Pretrial Services (Appendix
Table 1). Additional information regarding these different functions is provided below.
• The Superior Court, one of the state’s 58 trial courts, handles all San Diego County judicial
matters related to felonies, misdemeanors, civil cases, small claims, traffic, property titles,
divorce, probate, conservatorship, mental health, and juvenile proceedings. Judges’
salaries and benefits are paid by the state and are not included in the Court's actual
expenditures presented in this bulletin.
• The Sheriff’s Court Services Bureau staff provides weapon screening and court facility
security around the County and executes, serves, and returns all writs, warrants, and other
processes (e.g., subpoenas, eviction notices, and restraining orders) issued by the Court.
• The Grand Jury is a group of 19 citizens who investigate civil matters, as well as issue
criminal indictments.
• Pretrial Services staff provides the judiciary with information regarding offender risk,
which is used for custody release and bail decisions.6
6 For fiscal years prior to FY 2016–17, pretrial services were a Superior Court unit, however, due to insufficient funding in August 2015, a Pretrial unit was established at the Sheriff’s Office that includes staff from the Sheriff's Detentions Processing Division, Jail Population Management Unit, and Reentry Services Division.
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 9 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 9
Expenditures for the court-related services category rose
8% over the previous year, marked by increased spending
by the Grand Jury (16%), Sheriff’s Court Services Bureau
(19%), the Superior Courts (3%), and the notable (91%) increase by Pretrial Services (Appendix Table 1). These
increases are due to additional authorized funds
associated with information technology projects and
staff for Superior Courts, higher expenditures for Grand
Jury, and changes in staffing for Sheriff’s Court Services
Bureau.
$321.48 million spent by court-
related services in FY 2023–24.
The Grand Jury, Superior Court,
and the Sheriff’s Court Services spent more than the previous
year.
Probation field services and administration
Probation spent $158 million in FY 2023–24 on field
services and administration, reflecting a 5% increase
from the previous year but a 10% decrease compared to five years prior (Appendix Table 1). Notably, departmental
administrative expenditures saw a dramatic 702%
increase from the previous year, rising from $3.1 million to
$24.9 million. This sharp increase was due to a
departmental reorganization that consolidated the
administration and training units, which were previously
distributed across other divisions.7
$158 million spent by Probation
in FY 2023–24.
Administrative costs saw a notable 702% increase due to a
departmental reorganization
consolidating administration
and training units.
Corrections facilities
The corrections category includes spending related to adult correctional institutions
operated by the San Diego Sheriff’s Office, juvenile facilities managed by the Probation
Department, institutional services provided by Probation, and the Chula Vista City Jail.8 A
total of $608.24 million was spent on corrections in FY 2023–24 (Appendix Table 1). The total
expenditure for this category increased by 9% compared to one and five years prior (Figure 2
and Appendix Table 1). Of all three facilities, Probation institutional services experienced the
largest increase from the year before (27%), while the Chula Vista City Jail decreased by 24%.
Across all three institutions, a total of 3,079 correctional
staff positions were funded in FY 2023–24, representing
three additional positions compared to the previous year
(Appendix Table 2).
$608.24 million spent on
corrections in FY 2023–24. The
Sheriff’s Detention Services and
the Probation Department
spent more than the previous
year. Other agencies
In FY 2023–24, spending for “Other” areas related to public safety totaled $67.82 million
(Appendix Table 1). The group in this category includes the San Diego County Public Safety
Executive Office, which provides administrative oversight to nine County public safety
departments including Child Support Services, which establishes and enforces child support
orders and oversees and manages the Bureau of Public Assistance Investigations. The
Oceanside Police Department withdrew from enforcement at the Harbor on FY 2022-23,
resulting in no funding for FY 2023-24.
7 The increase reflects salaries and benefits for staff hired for the consolidated administrative and training units.
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 10 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 10
Expenditures for the “Other” category were 3% higher
compared to the previous year and 9% lower compared
to five years prior. Both Child Support Services and the
Public Safety Executive Office experienced increases over the past year (Appendix Table 1). Child Support Services’
expenditures increased due to an increase in salaries and
benefits due to negotiated labor agreements and costs
for retirement.
$67.82 million in expenditures
in FY 2023–24. The Public Safety
Executive Office and Child
Support Services had a one-
year expenditure increase.
The Public Safety Executive Office expenditure increases are attributed to the addition of six
staff and consultant services to support programs and initiatives for justice integration.
Staffing
In addition to expenditures, staffing levels provide another key measure of resources
allocated to public safety. While staffing is one component of total expenditures—alongside
factors such as salaries, benefits, services, and supplies—it does not always follow the same
trends as spending. In some cases, staffing and expenditures may move in different
directions or at varying rates. Notably, the court-related category exhibited an inverse
relationship, with expenditures increasing while staffing declined. In contrast, the remaining
six categories—law enforcement, prosecution, public defense, probation, correctional
facilities, and other—experienced growth in both expenditures and staffing (Table 2).
Table 2: One-Year Changes in Expenditures and Staffing by Category in
FY 2023–24
Category One-Year Change in Expenditures One-Year Change in Staffing
Law enforcement 4% 1%
Corrections facilities 9% <1%
Court-related 8% -1%
Prosecution 6% 1%
Probation (field services and administration) 5% 1%
Public defense 8% 3%
Other 3% 1%
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures and Authorized Staffing
Law enforcement sworn and non-sworn staff
Across the eleven agencies (including Harbor Police), there were 6,125 law enforcement-
funded staff positions in FY 2023–24 (Appendix Tables 2 and 6), including 4,387 sworn officers
and 1,738 non-sworn staff (Appendix Tables 2, 4, and 5). Of the eleven local law enforcement
agencies, five had a one-year increase in total staffing ranging from <1% (Chula Vista) to 8%
(Harbor), one experienced a one-year decrease of <1% (Oceanside) and five experienced no
changes (Carlsbad, Coronado, El Cajon, Escondido, and La Mesa) (Appendix Table 6).
Sworn staff comprised 72% of all law enforcement staffing throughout the region in FY 2023–
24, ranging from 64% (Oceanside) to 77% (Harbor and San Diego) (not shown). Of the eleven
agencies, five saw increases in their sworn staff numbers and six agencies saw no change
(Appendix Table 4).
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 11 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 11
Non-sworn staff comprised 28% of all law enforcement staffing throughout the region in
FY 2023–24, ranging from 23% (Harbor and San Diego) to 36% (Oceanside) (not shown). Out
of the ten agencies with sufficient non-sworn staffing for a robust comparison (e.g., greater
than 30), four saw their number of non-sworn staff increase over the past fiscal year, with Harbor Police experiencing a 39% increase from the previous year. Additionally, five agencies
experienced no changes, and one agency (Oceanside) experienced a decrease in staff
(Appendix Table 5).
The regional average of budgeted sworn officers per 1,000 residents in FY 2023–24 was 1.32, a
figure that has remained relatively consistent over the years (Figure 8 and Appendix Table 7).
This regionwide figure remains notably lower than the national average of 2.4 sworn officers
per 1,000 population reported in 2019 (not shown).9
The number of budgeted sworn law enforcement officers per 1,000 population in FY 2023–24
varied across the jurisdictions (from 1.05 in Chula Vista to 2.07 in Coronado) (Figure 8 and
Appendix Table 7). Compared to FY 2022-23, the per capita rate (per 1,000 residents) of sworn
officers decreased for two agencies (La Mesa and San Diego), increased for six (Carlsbad,
Chula Vista, Coronado, El Cajon, National City, and the Sheriff’s Office), and stayed the same
for two (Escondido and Oceanside) (Appendix Table 7).
Figure 8: Region’s Sworn Officer-to-Population Ratio in FY 2019–20 and FY 2023–
2410
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Authorized Staffing
9 The most recently available nationwide data on sworn officers per 1,000 people (2.4) is available from the FBI’s 2019 Crime in the United States. More recent data from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer (2023) reports a rate of 3.51 per 1,000 people, but this figure includes both sworn officers and civilian employees.
10 Harbor Police is not included in Figure 8 because there is no population base related to the area served by this
agency.
0.96 1.05 1.10 1.13 1.15 1.23 1.21 1.28
1.44 1.44
1.93
1.05 1.06 1.13 1.15 1.15 1.27 1.30 1.32 1.47 1.54
2.07
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FY 2019-20 FY 2023-24
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 12 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 12
Since the Great Recession in 2008, when budgets significantly decreased, this publication
has collected information on the number of frozen positions across the region. A frozen
position is one that has been budgeted for but has not been filled, and may or may not be
filled in the future. This practice is used if there is a hiring freeze, or if a position is deliberately left vacant to utilize savings from forgone salaries. Due to staffing vacancies caused by
residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nationwide law enforcement staffing crisis,11
and increased retirements and resignations, one agency reported having frozen positions in
FY 2023–24; the Sheriff’s Office reported 14 frozen positions.
Supplemental Questions to Public Safety Agencies
in FY 2023-24
Each year, this analysis incorporates supplementary questions to highlight specific events
unique to the year under review to gauge the effects they had on the region’s public safety
agencies. In FY2023-24, agencies were specifically requested to offer additional qualitative
insights into their budget data to provide context on how they adjusted their budgets and
allocated resources to navigate challenges related to staffing and overtime expenditures.
Challenges related to staffing levels
Over the last five years, the workforce has seen severe disruptions. Across the nation, the
number of vacancies and unfilled positions has remained at an extremely high rate, resulting
in record breaking staffing shortages. This phenomena has impacted all areas of
employment, including San Diego County’s public safety agencies. In addition to the effects
of the COVID-19 pandemic and negative sentiments towards police nationwide, law enforcement agencies also reported facing staffing shortages due to retirements,
resignations, and challenges in retention.
Anecdotal information pointed to additional challenges affecting staffing among law
enforcement agencies. Recent social movements related to the reallocation of public safety
funding and criminal justice reforms may have had effects on the general public’s perception
of law enforcement which could have affected the number of new applicants interested in working in local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, generational changes and the
approach of younger generations to work and work-life balance might be affecting staffing
among law enforcement agencies, as younger generations often seek greater flexibility,
career advancement opportunities, and a workplace culture that may clash with the
traditional hierarchical structures within law enforcement organizations. As agencies grapple
with these shifting dynamics, adapting their strategies to attract and retain talent from diverse generational backgrounds becomes imperative for ensuring the effectiveness and
sustainability of law enforcement efforts.
To address shortages, many departments intensified recruitment efforts by attending job
fairs (including military and college events), boosting social media outreach, and streamlining
hiring processes to accelerate onboarding. Simultaneously, agencies implemented retention
strategies such as hiring incentives, salary adjustments, flexible schedules, and employee recognition programs. Some departments formed retention committees to develop long-
term solutions, while others froze specialized assignments to prioritize patrol staffing.
Notably, these challenges were largely confined to law enforcement, with other public safety
agencies reporting fewer staffing concerns.
11 Daniels, C., Nejman, A., Johnson T. (2025). ‘Police shortages persist throughout the US as departments weigh solutions’. ABC news. Available at: https://abc3340.com/news/spotlight-on-america/police-shortages-persist-throughout-the-us-as-law-enforcement-departments-weigh-solutions; Tietzietz, K. (2023). ‘Police shortages reported nationwide amid record-low morale and recruitment’.
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Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 13
Use of overtime
Budgeting for law enforcement overtime is a standard practice to guarantee that
unexpected events can still be handled to ensure public safety without increasing the
number of an agency’s sworn staff. Of the eleven law enforcement agencies in the region, all
but Coronado and Oceanside who were under budget (1% and 8%, respectively), reported
that their use of overtime had exceeded what they had budgeted in FY 2023–24; however, the
variation between budgeted amount and actual overtime across the law enforcement
agencies varied drastically, ranging from Carlsbad’s $269,325 to the Sheriff’s $53.61 million (Figure 9 and Appendix Table 10). The variation in actuals spent on overtime is likely due to
the different degree of challenges with higher-than-average attrition and retirement rates,
and a steadily decreasing candidate pool, as discussed previously. Across the eleven agencies,
a total of $112.44 million was budgeted for overtime expenses in FY 2023–24 and $180.87
million was spent (not shown).
Figure 9: Percentage Variation Between Budgeted and Actual Overtime by Law
Enforcement Agency in FY 2023–2412
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
12 Oceanside and Coronado are not included in Figure 9 because their actual use of overtime did not exceed what
they had originally budgeted.
9%16%20%23%30%
62%
86%
110%
134%
Carlsbad San Diego Harbor
Police
El Cajon La Mesa Chula
Vista
National
City
Escondido Sheriff
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 14 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 14
Summary
In FY 2023–24, local public safety spending in the San Diego region increased by 6% from the
previous year, reaching $2.99 billion—the highest in a decade. This equates to roughly $900
per San Diego County resident, based on 2023 population estimates. Nearly half of the public
safety budget (48%) was allocated to law enforcement, with spending in this area increasing
by 4% from the previous year. While most of the eleven agencies saw increased expenditures,
Oceanside was the only one to report a decrease.
In addition to the increase in overall spending, staffing levels and overtime expenditures
continue to present challenges. The region had 1.32 sworn law enforcement officers per 1,000
residents, a figure that has remained relatively consistent over the years, and many
law enforcement agencies noted experiencing challenges related to filling and maintaining
staffing due to high attrition rates, recruitment challenges, and increases in retirements.
Overtime expenditures also posed a challenge, with all but two agencies exceeding their
overtime budgets. This higher-than-expected spending was largely driven by ongoing
staffing shortages, with agencies budgeting $112.44 million for overtime, but ultimately
spending $180.87 million, highlighting the strain on resources.
Methodology
The methods used in the preparation of the data presented in this bulletin, as well as other
factors to consider when interpreting the information, are outlined below.
• All figures for all years, including FY
2023–24, are based on actual
expenditures rather than budgeted
figures, unless otherwise noted.
• Data presented in this bulletin include
figures for departments funded by the
County and municipal governments.
Other entities, such as state and federal
justice agencies (e.g., California Highway
Patrol, Department of Homeland Security),
are not included because they are not part
of the local decision-making process.
• Minor revisions in methodology,
regarding specific categories of
expenditures to be included or excluded,
may result in differences between the
current bulletin and earlier versions of
this report. Every year, each agency
revises data for one, five, and ten years
prior to the current fiscal year. SANDAG
updates the report with the revised
expenditures for those selected years
and maintains the same figures from the
previous report for the additional years
reported.
• To adjust for inflation, expenditures for
prior years have been adjusted to be
consistent with current dollars, based on
the CPI for the San Diego metro area,
published by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Prior to FY 2016-17, reports used
the annual CPI rate for the first half of
the year. To allow for the reporting of
actual expenditures rather than the
budgeted amount, the CPI used since
then is based on the average of the CPI
for the second half of one year (2023 for
this report) and the first half of the
following year (2024 for this report).
• While fire departments and emergency
medical services provide essential first-
responder services in cases of public
safety emergencies, their funding
traditionally has not been included in the
public safety figures compiled by
SANDAG because they are not directly
related to law enforcement and offender
accountability.
• Dollar amounts represent employee
salaries and benefits, plus department
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 15 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 15
services and supplies, unless noted
otherwise. Capital expenditures are not
included because these one-time costs
could artificially skew comparisons.
• Each staff position represents the
equivalent of one full-time role. Part-
time staff may be represented by
decimal units. Staffing numbers reflect
all authorized positions whether filled or
vacant.
• Information is presented by fiscal year
(July 1 through June 30). Population data
are presented for calendar years (January
1 through December 31).
• For comparability across jurisdictions,
some line items have been included or
excluded as discussed in this bulletin.
Local departments have approved all
numbers presented in this bulletin prior
to publication.
• Law enforcement expenditures may vary
with respect to whether parking
enforcement, recruits, and animal
control are included. However, the data
presented in this bulletin are consistent:
parking enforcement and recruits are
included (except for the Sheriff’s
jurisdiction where parking enforcement
is provided and regulated by each city)
and costs for animal control are
excluded.
• There are nine incorporated cities in the
region that operate their own police
departments. The Sheriff’s Office
contracts to provide services to the
remaining nine incorporated cities and
the unincorporated areas of the county. These groups and the Harbor Police
provided information regarding law
enforcement for this report.
• The San Diego Sheriff’s Office figures for
law enforcement do not include
expenditures or staffing for their detention facilities or court services.
However, it is important to note that the
Sheriff's Office provides certain resources
and services to the entire San Diego
region, including search and rescue,
emergency planning, aerial services, crime lab, specialized response (e.g.,
bomb, SWAT), and mutual aid
coordination.
• The Criminal Division of the San Diego
City Attorney’s Office prosecutes
misdemeanors for the cities of San
Diego, Poway, and the unincorporated
area of 4S Ranch.
• Adult correctional facilities include the
Central Jail, East Mesa, Rock Mountain,
George Bailey, Las Colinas, South Bay,
and Vista, all operated by the San Diego
Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Chula Vista
operated Chula Vista City Jail. Juvenile
facilities operated by the Probation
Department include Youth Transition
Campus and East Mesa Juvenile
Detention Facility.
If you are interested in learning more about the data presented here, please contact
the SANDAG Criminal Justice Clearinghouse at (619) 699–1900 or visit SANDAG.org/CJ.
You can also access criminal justice data through SANDAG’s open data portal
(opendata.sandag.org).
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Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 16
Appendix Table 1
Criminal justice expenditures by category San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Category FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change 10-year Change 5-year Change 1-year
Law enforcement $1,288,714,451 $1,485,119,996 $1,387,388,540 $1,441,851,755 12% -3% 4%
Prosecution – Total $242,622,526 $258,359,629 $251,175,469 $267,075,288 10% 3% 6%
District Attorney $220,960,619 $231,478,478 $224,989,296 $240,754,884 9% 4% 7%
City Attorney $21,661,907 $26,881,151 $26,186,173 $26,320,404 22% -2% 1%
Public defense $91,762,521 $108,848,502 $119,406,822 $129,381,631 41% 19% 8%
Court-related $321,402,018 $331,663,202 $297,336,830 $321,478,154 <1% -3% 8%
Superior Court $232,820,925 $230,684,423 $208,302,160 $214,004,362 -8% -7% 3%
Sheriff's Court Services Bureau $86,055,020 $100,512,221 $85,883,232 $101,820,467 18% 1% 19%
Grand Jury $664,685 $466,558 $474,078 $551,168 -17% 18% 16%
Pretrial Services* $1,861,388 $0 $2,677,360 $5,102,157 174% — 91%
Probation $179,862,511 $175,266,977 $150,064,939 $157,996,407 -12% -10% 5%
Adult Field Services $97,774,210 $97,393,148 $100,717,238 $91,799,850 -6% -6% -9%
Juvenile Field Services $60,826,998 $54,177,061 $46,240,094 $41,265,831 -32% -24% -11%
Department Administration $21,261,303 $23,696,768 $3,107,607 $24,930,726 17% 5% 702%
Corrections facilities $510,419,406 $555,765,253 $558,301,081 $608,236,085 19% 9% 9%
Probation Institutional
Services $81,242,665 $74,159,232 $62,534,882 $79,272,100 -2% 7% 27%
Sheriff Detention Services $426,595,205 $479,312,567 $494,435,231 $527,956,799 24% 10% 7%
Chula Vista City Jail $2,581,536 $2,293,454 $1,330,968 $1,007,186 -61% -56% -24%
Other $73,107,314 $74,243,949 $66,029,169 $67,823,106 -7% -9% 3%
Public Safety Executive Office $4,996,339 $5,894,269 $7,124,227 $7,563,992 51% 28% 6%
Child Support Services $65,616,291 $65,590,568 $57,456,492 $60,259,114 -8% -8% 5%
Oceanside Harbor Police $2,494,684 $2,759,112 $1,448,450 $0 — — —
Total $2,707,890,747 $2,989,267,508 $2,829,702,850 $2,993,842,426 11% <1% 6%
* The large increase in expenditures in Pretrial Services is due to more funding via the 2021-2022 Budget Act in
Senate Bill 129 that created the Pretrial Supervised Own Recognizance (SOR) Monitoring and Community Support
Services.
Notes: All expenditures are based on salaries and benefits plus services and supplies, except Superior Court, which
is based on all operational and support expenditures excluding capital outlay and security. Salaries for the Superior
Court judges are not included because they are paid directly by the state. The Law enforcement category includes
parking enforcement for all agencies except the Sheriff’s Office. To reduce the impact of inflation on comparisons
over time, data have been adjusted to be consistent with current dollars now based upon the average of the 2023
Second Half and 2024 First Half CPI for the San Diego metro area, as described in the methodology section of the
report.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Actual Expenditures Pr
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Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 17
Appendix Table 2
Criminal justice staffing by category San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Category FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change 10-year Change 5-year Change 1-year
Law enforcement - Total 5,718.00 5,941.00 6,064.00 6,125.00 7% 3% 1%
Sworn 4,198.00 4,319.00 4,376.00 4,387.00 5% 2% <1%
Non-sworn 1,520.00 1,622.00 1,688.00 1,738.00 14% 7% 3%
Prosecution – Total 1,157.00 1,168.00 1,207.00 1,220.00 5% 5% 1%
District Attorney - Total 996.00 991.00 1,026.00 1,052.00 6% 6% 3%
Attorneys 320.00 335.00 346.00 350.00 9% 5% 1%
Investigators 174.00 135.00 135.00 137.00 -21% 2% 2%
Other 502.00 521.00 545.00 565.00 13% 8% 4%
City Attorney - Total 161.00 177.00 181.00 168.00 4% -5% -7%
Attorneys 60.00 73.00 75.00 70.00 17% -4% -7%
Investigators 11.00 14.00 13.00 12.00 — — —
Other 90.00 90.00 93.00 86.00 -4% -4% -8%
Public defense - Total 357.00 400.00 532.00 547.00 53% 37% 3%
Attorneys 221.00 237.00 278.00 285.00 29% 20% 3%
Investigators 48.00 57.00 84.00 85.00 77% 49% 1%
Other 88.00 106.00 170.00 177.00 101% 67% 4%
Court-related - Total 1,668.63 1,672.60 1,571.58 1,555.62 -7% -7% -1%
Commissioners/referees 23.00 16.00 16.00 15.00 — — —
Other 1,205.63 1,191.60 1,132.58 1,118.62 -7% -6% -1%
Sheriff's Court Services Bureau 420.00 464.00 423.00 422.00 1% -9% <-1%
Grand Jury 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 — — —
Pretrial services 19.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 — — —
Probation - Total 839.00 665.00 649.00 653.00 -22% -2% 1%
Probation Officers 603.00 449.00 425.00 423.00 -30% -6% -1%
Other 236.00 216.00 224.00 230.00 -3% 7% 3%
Corrections facilities - Total 2,757.00 2,773.00 3,076.00 3,079.00 12% 11% <1%
Sheriff Sworn 1,254.00 1,270.00 1,396.00 1,403.00 12% 11% 1%
Probation Officers 440.00 364.00 342.00 343.00 -22% -6% <1%
Chula Vista City Jail Sworn 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 — — —
Non-sworn corrections 1,063.00 1,139.00 1,338.00 1,333.00 25% 17% <-1%
Other - Total 486.00 520.00 475.00 481.00 -1% -8% 1%
Public Safety Executive Office 11.00 14.00 14.00 20.00 — — —
Child Support Services 466.00 497.00 461.00 461.00 -1% -7% 0%
Citizens' Law Enforcement
Review Board — 0.00 — — —
Oceanside Harbor Police 9.00 9.00 0.00 0.00 — — —
Total 12,983.00 13,140.00 13,575.00 13,661.00 5% 4% 1%
Notes: All staffing numbers include positions authorized (budgeted) to be filled. Percent changes are not presented
for comparison numbers equaling 30 or less. The Law Enforcement category includes parking enforcement for all
agencies except Sheriff. Non-Sworn Corrections includes non-sworn staff who work in corrections facilities run by
the Sheriff's Office, Probation Department, and Chula Vista Jail.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Authorized Staffing
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Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 18
Appendix Table 3
Law enforcement agency expenditures by jurisdiction San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change 10-year Change 5-year Change 1-year
Carlsbad $38,782,659 $48,964,725 $44,312,414 $45,854,082 18% -6% 3%
Chula Vista $61,720,448 $75,581,932 $66,715,860 $72,146,894 17% -5% 8%
Coronado $14,175,861 $16,340,816 $16,719,550 $16,851,388 19% 3% 1%
El Cajon $37,599,379 $43,351,839 $46,506,942 $47,340,192 26% 9% 2%
Escondido $51,546,733 $54,156,919 $50,988,767 $53,200,889 3% -2% 4%
La Mesa $19,981,127 $23,207,134 $22,825,565 $23,147,002 16% <-1% 1%
National City $24,067,157 $30,718,506 $25,482,494 $28,167,561 17% -8% 11%
Oceanside $66,952,866 $70,608,234 $71,813,087 $68,277,184 2% -3% -5%
San Diego $543,434,888 $652,701,402 $576,735,800 $586,941,433 8% -10% 2%
Sheriff - Total $386,108,521 $420,479,234 $421,777,862 $454,844,317 18% 8% 8%
Del Mar $2,618,906 $2,969,720 $2,666,491 $2,612,637 <-1% -12% -2%
Encinitas $16,746,500 $18,989,024 $17,863,047 $17,347,401 4% -9% -3%
Imperial Beach $8,352,623 $9,105,919 $8,519,694 $8,322,685 <-1% -9% -2%
Lemon Grove $6,380,621 $7,365,214 $6,954,598 $6,694,350 5% -9% -4%
Poway $13,820,380 $15,556,358 $14,627,737 $14,182,921 3% -9% -3%
San Marcos $21,301,882 $24,780,045 $23,272,661 $22,554,753 6% -9% -3%
Santee $16,524,762 $18,215,664 $16,921,237 $16,529,842 <1% -9% -2%
Solana Beach $4,687,170 $5,284,862 $4,998,307 $4,874,078 4% -8% -2%
Vista $25,730,366 $29,020,485 $27,292,416 $26,904,763 5% -7% -1%
Harbor Police $44,344,812 $49,009,255 $43,510,199 $45,080,813 2% -8% 4%
Total $1,288,714,451 $1,485,119,996 $1,387,388,540 $1,441,851,755 12% -3% 4%
Notes: All expenditures are based on salaries and benefits, plus services and supplies. To reduce the impact of inflation on
comparisons over time, data have been adjusted to be consistent with current dollars now based upon the average of the
2023 Second Half and 2024 First Half CPI for the San Diego metro area, as described in the methodology section of the
report. In order to increase comparability, parking enforcement is included in the expenditures for all agencies, except
Sheriff total and contract cities (i.e., Del Mar, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana
Beach, and Vista), regardless of whether that agency usually includes parking enforcement in their expenditures. Data for
the Sheriff's contract cities were obtained from the Sheriff's Office and include only Sheriff contract amounts. The Sheriff's
total includes actual expenditures for the contract cities and unincorporated areas, as well as for services, such as search
and rescue, which are provided to the entire region, as described in the methodology.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Actual Expenditures Pr
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Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 19
Appendix Table 4
Sworn law enforcement agency personnel by jurisdiction San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change
10-year
Change
5-year
Change
1-year
Carlsbad 114.00 129.00 132.00 132.00 16% 2% 0%
Chula Vista* 237.00 261.00 289.00 290.00 22% 11% <1%
Coronado 44.00 46.00 46.00 46.00 5% 0% 0%
El Cajon 122.00 126.00 136.00 136.00 11% 8% 0%
Escondido 168.00 159.00 159.00 159.00 -5% 0% 0%
La Mesa 68.00 69.00 70.00 70.00 3% 1% 0%
National City 84.00 90.00 89.00 90.00 8% 0% 1%
Oceanside 218.00 218.00 219.00 219.00 <1% <1% 0%
San Diego 2,013.00 2,043.00 2,036.00 2,038.00 1% <-1% <1%
Sheriff - Total 1,003.00 1,038.00 1,060.00 1,065.00 6% 3% <1%
Del Mar 10.00 10.00 10.00 10.00 — — —
Encinitas 60.00 61.00 61.00 61.00 2% 0% 0%
Imperial Beach 28.00 28.00 28.00 28.00 — — —
Lemon Grove 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 — — —
Poway 50.00 49.00 51.00 51.00 2% 4% 0%
San Marcos 79.00 81.00 82.00 82.00 4% 1% 0%
Santee 60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00 0% 0% 0%
Solana Beach 17.00 17.00 17.00 17.00 — — —
Vista 93.00 94.00 96.00 97.00 4% 3% 1%
Harbor Police 127.00 140.00 140.00 142.00 12% 1% 1%
Total 4,198.00 4,319.00 4,376.00 4,387.00 5% 2% <1%
Notes: All staffing numbers reflect positions authorized (budgeted) to be filled. Percent changes are not presented
for comparison numbers equaling 30 or less.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Authorized Staffing Pr
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Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 20
Appendix Table 5
Non-sworn law enforcement agency personnel by jurisdiction San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change
10-year
Change
5-year
Change
1-year
Carlsbad 48.00 55.00 55.00 55.00 15% 0% 0%
Chula Vista 83.00 100.00 121.00 121.00 46% 21% 0%
Coronado 19.00 24.00 25.00 25.00 — — —
El Cajon 68.00 62.00 63.00 63.00 -7% 2% 0%
Escondido 59.00 58.00 59.00 59.00 0% 2% 0%
La Mesa 28.00 30.00 31.00 31.00 — — 0%
National City 41.00 39.00 39.00 41.00 0% 5% 5%
Oceanside 94.00 93.00 124.00 123.00 31% 32% -1%
San Diego 527.00 562.00 578.00 599.00 14% 7% 4%
Sheriff - Total 522.00 558.00 562.00 578.00 11% 4% 3%
Del Mar 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 — — —
Encinitas 23.00 22.00 22.00 22.00 — — —
Imperial Beach 15.00 12.00 12.00 12.00 — — —
Lemon Grove 12.00 11.00 10.00 10.00 — — —
Poway 18.00 17.00 16.00 16.00 — — —
San Marcos 24.00 23.00 24.00 23.00 — — —
Santee 22.00 19.00 19.00 19.00 — — —
Solana Beach 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 — — —
Vista 36.00 34.00 34.00 33.00 -8% -3% -3%
Harbor Police 31.00 140.00 31.00 43.00 39% -69% 39%
Total 1,520.00 1,622.00 1,688.00 1,738.00 14% 7% 3%
Notes: All staffing numbers reflect positions authorized (budgeted) to be filled. Percent changes are not presented
for comparison numbers equaling 30 or less. In order to increase comparability, parking enforcement personnel are
included for all agencies, except Sheriff, regardless of whether that agency usually includes parking enforcement in
their budget. For Escondido, non-sworn staff are based on full-time positions only.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Authorized Staffing Pr
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Appendix Table 6
Total law enforcement agency personnel by jurisdiction San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change
10-year
Change
5-year
Change
1-year
Carlsbad 162.00 184.00 187.00 187.00 15% 2% 0%
Chula Vista* 320.00 361.00 410.00 411.00 28% 14% <1%
Coronado 63.00 70.00 71.00 71.00 13% 1% 0%
El Cajon 190.00 188.00 199.00 199.00 5% 6% 0%
Escondido 227.00 217.00 218.00 218.00 -4% <1% 0%
La Mesa 96.00 99.00 101.00 101.00 5% 2% 0%
National City 125.00 129.00 128.00 131.00 5% 2% 2%
Oceanside 312.00 311.00 343.00 342.00 10% 10% <-1%
San Diego 2,540.00 2,605.00 2,614.00 2,637.00 4% 1% 1%
Sheriff - Total 1,525.00 1,596.00 1,622.00 1,643.00 8% 3% 1%
Del Mar 13.00 13.00 13.00 13.00 — — —
Encinitas 83.00 83.00 83.00 83.00 0% 0% 0%
Imperial Beach 43.00 40.00 40.00 40.00 -7% 0% 0%
Lemon Grove 36.00 35.00 34.00 34.00 -6% -3% 0%
Poway 68.00 66.00 67.00 67.00 -1% 2% 0%
San Marcos 103.00 104.00 106.00 105.00 2% 1% -1%
Santee 82.00 79.00 79.00 79.00 -4% 0% 0%
Solana Beach 23.00 23.00 23.00 23.00 — — —
Vista 129.00 128.00 130.00 130.00 1% 2% 0%
Harbor Police 158.00 181.00 171.00 185.00 17% 2% 8%
Total 5,718.00 5,941.00 6,064.00 6,125.00 7% 3% 1%
Notes: All staffing numbers reflect positions authorized (budgeted) to be filled. In order to increase comparability,
parking enforcement personnel are included for all agencies, except Sheriff, regardless of whether that agency
usually includes parking enforcement in their budget.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Authorized Staffing Pr
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Appendix Table 7
Sworn officers per 1,000 population by jurisdiction San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change
10-year
Change
5-year
Change
1-year
Carlsbad 1.02 1.13 1.14 1.15 13% 2% 1%
Chula Vista 0.91 0.96 1.04 1.05 15% 9% 1%
Coronado 1.87 1.93 2.02 2.07 11% 7% 2%
El Cajon 1.19 1.21 1.29 1.30 9% 7% 1%
Escondido 1.12 1.05 1.06 1.06 -5% 1% 0%
La Mesa 1.15 1.15 1.16 1.15 0% 0% -1%
National City 1.38 1.44 1.45 1.54 12% 7% 6%
Oceanside 1.25 1.23 1.27 1.27 2% 3% 0%
San Diego 1.48 1.44 1.48 1.47 -1% 2% -1%
Sheriff - Total 1.08 1.10 1.12 1.13 5% 3% 1%
Del Mar 2.35 2.33 2.55 2.55 9% 9% 0%
Encinitas 0.98 0.98 0.99 1.00 2% 2% 1%
Imperial Beach 1.03 1.00 1.07 1.07 4% 7% 0%
Lemon Grove 0.92 0.91 0.88 0.87 -5% -4% -1%
Poway 1.01 0.99 1.05 1.05 4% 6% 0%
San Marcos 0.87 0.84 0.88 0.86 -1% 2% -2%
Santee 1.07 1.05 1.02 1.01 -6% -4% -1%
Solana Beach 1.26 1.23 1.33 1.32 5% 7% -1%
Vista 0.95 0.92 0.96 0.97 2% 5% 1%
Total 1.28 1.28 1.32 1.32 3% 3% 0%
Notes: All staffing numbers reflect positions authorized (budgeted) to be filled. Harbor Police is not included in the
Table because there is no population base related to the area served by this agency; however, they had 142 sworn
officers in FY 2023-24 that informed the regionwide ratio.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Authorized Staffing Pr
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 23 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 23
Appendix Table 8
Law enforcement expenditures per capita San Diego region, FY 2014-15, FY 2019-20, FY 2022-23, and FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction FY 2014-15 FY 2019-20 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 Change
10-year
Change
5-year
Change
1-year
Carlsbad $348.27 $429.57 $383.38 $398.58 14% -7% 4%
Chula Vista $237.22 $278.53 $241.04 $260.63 10% -6% 8%
Coronado $601.26 $684.29 $734.05 $756.62 26% 11% 3%
El Cajon $366.22 $417.89 $440.25 $451.70 23% 8% 3%
Escondido $344.32 $357.92 $338.39 $353.33 3% -1% 4%
La Mesa $337.33 $387.87 $377.46 $381.00 13% -2% 1%
National City $399.06 $489.92 $414.54 $482.54 21% -2% 16%
Oceanside $383.54 $398.10 $414.99 $396.53 3% <-1% -4%
San Diego $399.08 $459.11 $419.51 $424.21 6% -8% 1%
Sheriff - Total $415.42 $443.79 $445.59 $480.82 16% 8% 8%
Del Mar $615.06 $692.57 $678.67 $666.83 8% -4% -2%
Encinitas $272.26 $304.82 $290.39 $283.20 4% -7% -2%
Imperial Beach $306.37 $326.74 $324.65 $318.77 4% -2% -2%
Lemon Grove $244.44 $277.78 $255.29 $243.28 <-1% -12% -5%
Poway $280.50 $315.27 $300.00 $291.71 4% -7% -3%
San Marcos $234.38 $255.82 $248.68 $237.86 1% -7% -4%
Santee $294.51 $317.86 $286.73 $277.47 -6% -13% -3%
Solana Beach $346.58 $380.86 $390.13 $379.87 10% <-1% -3%
Vista $263.72 $283.74 $272.13 $268.74 2% -5% -1%
Total $394 $440 $417 $433 10% -2% 4%
Notes: All expenditures are based on salaries and benefits, as well as services and supplies. To reduce the impact of
inflation on comparisons over time, data have been adjusted to be consistent with current dollars based upon the
average of the 2023 Second Half and 2024 First Half CPI for the San Diego metro area as described in the
methodology section of the report. In order to increase comparability, parking enforcement is included in the
expenditures for all agencies, except Sheriff total and contract cities (i.e., Del Mar, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, Lemon
Grove, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach, and Vista), regardless of whether that agency usually includes
parking enforcement in their budget. Sheriff total and contract cities do not include Court or Detention Services, but
the total does include services provided to the entire region, as described in the methodology.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities' Actual Expenditures Pr
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 24 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 24
Appendix Table 9
Percentage of public safety expenditures from grant funds San Diego region, FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction
Expenditures
from grant
funding
Total
expenditures
% of expenditures
from grants
Carlsbad $521,845 $45,854,082 1.1%
Chula Vista $1,115,494 $72,146,894 1.5%
Coronado $74,013 $16,851,388 0.4%
El Cajon $942,604 $47,340,192 2.0%
Escondido $1,532,430 $53,200,889 2.9%
Harbor Police $188,252 $45,080,813 0.4%
La Mesa $2,322,276 $23,147,002 10.0%
National City $342,601 $28,167,561 1.2%
Oceanside $3,042,509 $68,277,184 4.5%
San Diego $3,317,065 $586,941,433 0.6%
Sheriff $26,288,665 $454,844,317 5.8%
District Attorney $19,440,644 $240,754,884 8.1%
City Attorney $511,697 $26,320,404 1.9%
Superior Court $16,398,230 $221,295,814 7.4%
Probation $485,184 $237,268,507 0.2%
Total $76,523,509 $2,222,670,189 3.4%
Notes: Agencies reporting no grant funds used for FY 2023-24 expenditures are not included. The Sheriff’s Office
grant total includes expenditures in Detention Services and Law Enforcement.
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
Pr
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 25 of 26
Public Safety Allocations in the San Diego Region: Expenditures and Staffing for FY 2023–24 25
Appendix Table 10
Law enforcement agencies' variation between budgeted and actual overtime San Diego region, FY 2023-24
Jurisdiction Budgeted Actual Variance
Carlsbad $2,943,000 $3,212,325 $269,325
Chula Vista $3,951,487 $6,384,475 $2,432,988
Coronado $1,127,000 $1,037,087 −$89,913
El Cajon $2,536,799 $3,131,014 $594,215
Escondido $1,777,280 $3,737,118 $1,959,838
Harbor Police $3,534,400 $4,229,237 $694,837
La Mesa $1,380,000 $1,792,955 $412,955
National City $800,000 $1,489,479 $689,479
Oceanside $4,958,184 $4,889,815 −$68,369
San Diego $49,337,051 $57,260,763 $7,923,712
Sheriff $40,095,328 $93,708,467 $53,613,139
Total $112,440,529 $180,872,735 $68,432,206
Sources: SANDAG; San Diego County and Cities’ Expenditures
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July 28, 2025 Item #3 Page 26 of 26
Community-Police Engagement
Commission
Reid Shipley, Assistant Chief of Police
July 28, 2025
1
TODAY’S PRESENTATION
•Overview of SANDAG Public Safety
Allocations in the San Diego Region report
FY2023-24.
•Published April 2025
ITEM 3: SANDAG REPORT
2
ITEM 3: SANDAG REPORT
PUBLIC SAFETY ALLOCATIONS IN THE SD REGION
3
•County-wide saw the first increase in spending
post-pandemic
•Regional spending totaled $2.99 Billion
•48% allocated to Law Enforcement
•Nearly all agencies reported staffing related
challenges
•Multiple factors influencing staffing concerns
ITEM 3: SANDAG REPORT
PUBLIC SAFETY ALLOCATIONS IN THE SD REGION
4
•Carlsbad’s spending increased 3% between
FY22/23 and FY23/24
•Carlsbad improved our Officer to Population ratio
between FY19/20 and FY23/24
•General funds expenditure is under the region
average.
•Per Capita spending in Carlsbad is $399 under the
region’s $433 average.
ITEM 3: SANDAG REPORT
PUBLIC SAFETY ALLOCATIONS IN THE SD REGION
5
•The report also provides spending per capita
compared to the other agencies.
•Carlsbad’s expenses are below the region
average.
ITEM 3: SANDAG REPORT
RECENT UPDATES
6
•Presentation to Council: March 4, 2025
•Overview of current department status
•Offered suggestions for staffing in FY 25/26
•Council endorsed the hiring of 6 additional
personnel
•3 Patrol Officers
•1 Special Events Sergeant
•1 ICAC Detective
•1 Digital Forensic Specialist