Question regarding SFPD reserve officer...for a friend....

[SJgunguy24]

I.I.R.C. the requirement for reserve officer is 890 hr academy. Full time sworn officer 1100 hrs. academy. The idiots who run that city won't even back the officers on the payroll, you really think they are gonna give a rats a** about a reserve officer?

[trinydex]

FYI, SFPD does not have "designated" or "super" level one status reserve officers. Super level ones are granted full peace officer status, 24/7, and full carry off duty permission. SFPD reserves are not allowed to carry off duty (the ID card is so stamped on the front).

However, SFPD reserves have come a long way from the days of parade security, Golden Gate Park parking enforcement, etc. They no longer have to wear different color uniforms or wear other obvious visual designators indicating they are reserves. Back in the day when they did look clearly different than the regulars, it was a sign to badguys saying, "Hit me first."

They are now assigned patrol and special duty units and work alongside their paid brother officers. Once I was booking someone at the county jail and an unmarked SFPD unit rolled into the sallyport. Four guys in jumpsuits armed to the teeth fall out and the 2nd unmarked pulled up with 2 guys similarly dressed with 2 suspects in tow. We started chatting and, to my surprise, there were 3 reserves in the group. Same everything except for a barely noticeable "R" on their star and the series number of their badges. I chatted with these guys a bit, they were all on the fugitive task force. Pretty cool work for a reserve.

There is a historical bit of sibling rivalry now and again between regulars and reserves, but that is something that will never disappear. It is like the sibling rivalry that occurs from different agencies with overlapping jurisdiction. Nothing serious, but it exists. Even though some reserves may have more training than a regular, the reserves sometimes get treated like 2nd class cops...like how regular Army troopers sometimes treat Army reserves or National Guardsmen.

Some guys I know have joined reserve units because they have good jobs and would take a huge pay cut to become career cops. My wife works with an MD who put himself through the academy to join as a reserve officer on the SWAT team, he is the tactical medic. Cool.

Anyway, there are SFPD members on this site who can probably give you more detailed info.

you can be a reserve swat officer? don't they have to train a lot?

[eltee]

you can be a reserve swat officer? don't they have to train a lot?

The MD who is on a SWAT team is not with SFPD. He's with another local agency.

I do not know of any reserves on SFPD SWAT.