As the San Francisco Police Department attempts to close its 485-officer staffing gap, it is more than doubling the size of its academy classes. But that has not resulted in more graduates. 

The dismal performance of Class 283 — which completed training Jan. 6 with more than 70% of its hopefuls failing or dropping out and just 12 graduating — has kindled a debate about training curriculum, what recruits should learn, and what police officers are meant to be. 

Some recruits told The Standard the culture of the academy is frozen in a bygone era, when police were seen as warriors, not as guardians. 

That culture is reflected in academy training materials specific to the SFPD.

Police Officer Standards and Training, the state agency that licenses officers and certifies academies, characterizes policing as a noble calling that respects the public. POST materials used at the SFPD academy cover a broad curriculum, from how to write reports to use of force.

“Policing professionals must never forget that their powers to stop, interrogate, arrest and use force are created and confined by the law,” the POST packet given to all San Francisco recruits states.

Noncertified material in the packet written by the late Al Benner, a former SFPD officer and department psychologist, strikes a different tone. 

The single sheet, titled “Adding to the Load,” warns recruits of the drastic, life-altering culture change that awaits them in law enforcement.

Psychology Today once called Benner, who died in 2009, “a pioneer in police psychology.”

In 1997, Benner was quoted on the ideal psychology of a police officer: “To function effectively in our job, you must annihilate, smother, and suppress normal emotions like fear, anger, revulsion, and even compassion.” 

Despite their inclusion in the academy curriculum, Benner’s ideas run counter to thinking about modern policing. 

Former Cmdr. Richard Coriea, who once headed the academy, did not deny that these materials are used in the academy. But, he said, what matters most is what is said and done by instructors, which will have a far more lasting impact on recruits than anything else. 

And what they should be reinforcing, he said, is that the model 21st century police officer is not a soldier. 

“The culture of police work today is a culture of service, and the role of police officers today is guardian,” he said.