A Week of Giving 2025
Let’s come together to check off The Chief’s Wishlist
On the 7th Day of Giving… Give the Gift of Protection
With recent mass casualty events, the San Diego Police Department understands the importance of protecting our community. But who will ensure they are protected when they approach danger to protect us?
SDPD’s Threat Management Unit and Joint Terrorism Task Force respond to critical incidents with the potential of mass casualties like school shootings, workplace violence, and terrorism. During high-risk operations, these officers face threats from heavily armed subjects.
They need eight (8) advanced ballistic armor carriers that offer superior protection. This new body armor enhances officer safety, mobility, and performance, ensuring they can continue their mission and keep the community safe.
Each ballistic armor carrier costs $4,775, bringing the total for eight to $38,200.
On the 6th Day of Giving… Give the Gift of Training
To empower officers facing critical staffing shortages, Chief Wahl is prioritizing initiatives that put cutting-edge technology and training at the forefront—providing officers with what they need to do their jobs safely and with excellence.
Our officers respond to high-risk incidents such as barricaded suspects, hostage situations, and active shooters—where rapid and safe entry is critical. However, the department lacks standardized breaching tools and formalized training, relying on outdated or personally owned equipment. This leads to delays, increased risk, and reduced effectiveness.
Because of this, SWAT has developed a POST-approved breaching course for patrol officers. The tools and training materials will equip officers with proper gear and hands-on instruction to conduct manual breaches safely and efficiently in a variety of field situations. This enables officers to breach barriers quickly and safely, thereby reducing response times, enhancing life-saving efforts, and improving public safety and emergency response throughout the city.
Training/equipment per officer costs $1,180, bringing the total for 25 officers to $29,500.
On the 5th Day of Giving… Give the Gift of Light
In traffic, at night, and in high-risk situations, visibility can mean the difference between a safe response and a serious accident.
The Motorcycles Unit needs auxiliary lighting to ensure officers are seen and protected while responding to emergencies across San Diego. Enhanced lighting allows officers to navigate traffic more safely and reach critical incidents quickly, even in low light, heavy congestion, or challenging conditions.
When drivers can spot police motorcycles sooner, they are better able to slow down and yield, reducing the risk of collisions and keeping everyone on the road safer. In neighborhoods with higher crime rates, increased visibility also serves as a powerful deterrent, helping prevent crime before it happens.
Your support helps keep our motorcycle officers visible, protected, and ready to respond when our community needs them most.
Each unit of motorcycle lights costs $882, bringing the total for 50 to $44,100.
On the 4th Day of Giving… Give the Gift of Safety
The City’s budget has left a critical gap in funding for SDPD—one that directly affects public safety. As a result, the Narcotics Unit is in urgent need of three (3) trunk safes to securely store service firearms while officers are in the field.
California law requires firearms to be transported in locked containers or secured in a vehicle’s trunk. Trunk safes provide a safe, compliant solution—preventing unauthorized access by children and reducing the risk of theft when officers return home or move between operations.
This equipment helps prevent tragedy before it can happen and protects officers, their families, and the communities they serve.
Each trunk safe costs $2,417, bringing the total for three to $7,250.
On the 3rd Day of Giving… Help Improve Operational Planning
The Gang Unit investigates felony crimes that require surveillance, operational planning, and after-action debriefs.
A full-size interactive screen, also known as a Smart TV, would replace the limited capabilities of cellphones and small monitors, enabling structured briefings, real-time position mapping, and clear visualization of target locations.
Improved operational planning enables the unit to serve search/arrest warrants, conduct compliance checks, and plan high-risk operations more effectively and safely. The Gang Unit can then more efficiently apprehend violent felons in San Diego, contributing to a safer community.
The cost of a Smart TV is $5,130.
On the 2nd Day of Giving… Give the Gift of Community
With an emphasis on connection and collaboration in our communities, one of the top priorities on the Chief’s Wishlist is creating space for our officers and the communities they serve to come together.
Since 2019, Southeastern Division’s Community Room has been unusable due to a lack of essential furniture and audio-visual equipment. With your support, we can modernize this space and transform it into a welcoming, fully functional room where trust is built through conversations.
Once restored, the Community Room will:
- Serve as a central gathering place for 150–200 community members each month
- Host neighborhood meetings, workshops, and community discussions
- Encourage open dialogue and collaboration between officers and residents
- Strengthen relationships that lead to more effective crime prevention and resolution
Additionally, this renovated space will allow Southeastern Division to establish a command post during critical emergencies, such as natural disasters, ensuring our officers are better equipped to respond when the community needs them most.
The cost for these improvements is $2,800.
On the 1st Day of Giving… Support the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Unit
Every day, SDPD officers respond when seconds matter: a child lost in a canyon, a gunman barricaded in a home, a large community festival at risk of terrorist attack.
Take, for example, a child lost in one of San Diego’s canyons. Our city is known for its rolling hills, stunning vistas, and deep valleys—but in an emergency, how do first responders search through dense brush, rugged terrain, and limited visibility?
The answer is technology. Investing in force-multiplying tools enables officers to act faster, smarter, and safer.
That’s where SDPD’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Unit, also known as the Drone Unit, comes in.
The UAS Unit exists for one purpose: to keep officers and residents safe in moments of crisis. Drones give officers eyes in the sky and access to hard-to-reach areas. They help assess risks, gather lifesaving intelligence, and de-escalate violent situations. They do this all without placing human lives in danger.
Recent successes include:
- Locating a crashed Cessna airplane in the La Jolla/Torrey Pines area.
- Finding a vehicle that had plunged 100 feet into San Pasqual Canyon.
- Searching for missing children and at-risk elderly persons.
- Supporting over 100 SWAT operations involving armed or barricaded suspects.
- Providing security overwatch at large public events, including the Farmers Insurance Open, Comic-Con, and December Nights.
When seconds count, the right tools save lives. Your investment in this program will modernize and expand SDPD’s aerial capabilities, ensuring crises are resolved with less force, fewer risks, and better outcomes. And ultimately, it gives San Diegans peace of mind in knowing that if a threat arises, whether in a canyon, a crowded event, or their own neighborhood, our officers are ready and able.
The cost per drone ranges from $2,426 to $17,156. The total cost to replace the current drone fleet is $96,400.