
$190,589 for one police officer in Oakland! The amount sounds unbelievable, especially because it is the average cost of salary and benefits – the cost is higher for about half of all officers. It’s $177,888 for one firefighter. Police and fire are critical services but these costs are too high for a city like Oakland that is struggling with a $31 million budget deficit. Too high in a recession or at anytime. It’s shocking that 75 percent of the city’s $400 million

