SFPD Swears in Largest Lateral Class in a Decade #26-097
12 Lateral Officers Mark Significant Step in SFPD Hiring Efforts
The San Francisco Police Department welcomed 12 lateral officers on Monday - the largest lateral class in a decade and a significant step forward in the department’s aggressive hiring efforts.
Chief Derrick Lew was joined by the command staff to swear in the 294th lateral class during a ceremony at SFPD headquarters. The officers will receive in-house training at the academy before moving on to field training.
“I am extremely grateful to these officers and their families for joining the San Francisco Police Department,” Chief Lew said. “There’s no doubt that our officers are the reason our city is on the rise. These new lateral officers will join a family of hard-working members who are keeping the streets clean and safe in the greatest city in the world.”
The 12 lateral officers served with distinction at law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area and California before joining the SFPD. Four of the officers are military veterans, and several have advanced training in specialty assignments at their previous departments.
Monday’s ceremony is the latest milestone in a hiring surge under Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Rebuilding the Ranks initiative.
While academy classes have been filling up and applications for new officers continue to flood in, the SFPD has also put substantial resources into recruiting officers with POST certification from other jurisdictions.
Under SFPD’s aggressive lateral hiring program, officers hired after July 1 can receive a $25,000 signing bonus on top of competitive pay and benefits that are among the highest in the nation.
The SFPD additionally offers an array of opportunities for promotion and career development, including many specialized units.
Monday’s swearing-in follows a hiring surge of new prospective recruits in 2026. So far this year, the SFPD has 5,488 total applications, exceeding the 5,055 applications received for the entire year of 2025.
Last month at a one-day testing event at Oracle Park, SFPD identified 158 applicants who met the criteria to begin the background process. The applications from that event are triple the average number SFPD receives at one-day testing events.
The time it takes to hire new recruits has also been cut by over 50% thanks to more efficient testing and background processes.
