Growing up in San Francisco, Jeff Chen remembers police officers visiting his kindergarten class to explain how they help people. Jeff decided that’s what he wanted to do.

He studied criminal justice at San Francisco State and entered the police academy in 2018. Jeff, now 27, has been patrolling the Sunset for two years. 

He knows he made the right career choice.

“I truly enjoy this career,” Jeff says. “I definitely feel like I have helped some people along the way and hope to continue to try to be the change that I want to see.”

What’s policing in the Sunset really like? Jeff laughs at the question.

“We get some pretty crazy and funny calls sometimes,” he says. “Like when someone said their roommate had thrown out their dinner.”

Jeff relies on good humor to offset the more stressful parts of the job, especially when crimes like burglaries and catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise in the Sunset. Sometimes those crimes can become violent. Shots were fired recently when some catalytic converter thieves were caught in the act.

“You have to be able to handle stress well,” Jeff says. “And it’s important to have thick skin. You can’t let it get to you when people yell at you.”

Jeff finds most people supportive and friendly.

“Little kids wave to us. Residents talk with us and bring things to our attention,” he says. “Community support and understanding can go a long way.”

What can be done about the rash of car and garage thefts? Jeff says residents can help by installing cameras, not leaving valuables in their cars, and reinforcing garage windows.

Jeff and his fellow officers are patrolling as much as they can, but they are dealing with a severe staff shortage. San Francisco’s police department is short more than 500 officers for a city our size. That means as few as seven officers are patrolling much of the westside on any given night.

Jeff says shorter staffing leads to reduced response times.

“We try to respond to calls as soon as we can,” Jeff says. “Sometimes we will educate the public on things that may be confusing or unknown to them, such as our limitations.”

The staff shortage also adds stress to the officers who have to work more overtime to cover the gaps. 

The overtime is extra pay, Jeff says, but the workload is not sustainable. It’s also hard on families and loved ones.

“Sometimes we’re told about a day prior that we have to come in on our day off, and then we have to cancel whatever plans we already had with our families,” Jeff says.

Many officers have chosen early retirement or moved to other area police departments where they find better working conditions.

“This career is what you make of it and it can be very fun and rewarding,” Jeff says. “It can also be very stressful and exhausting. So a good balance is needed to juggle it all and not burn out.”

On his time off, Jeff enjoys playing video games, being outdoors, cooking, and spending time with his girlfriend.

Jeff is devoted to his hometown of San Francisco. He wants to have a long career as a police officer here.

NOTE: The San Francisco Police Department is hiring. Learn more here.

Reported and written by volunteer community journalist Tom Colin. We encourage residents with journalism experience, retired journalists, and student journalists in high school and college to volunteer as writers for Supervisor Engardio’s newsletter. Interested? Apply here. Do you know a story you would like to see featured in the newsletter? Tell us about it here.