Shoshana Walter/The Bay Citizen

Mayor Ed Lee laughs at a joke during police Chief Greg Suhr's speech at the swearing-in ceremony April 27 at City Hall

On his first full day as San Francisco police chief, Greg Suhr took a pay cut. 

Suhr told police commissioners that he plans to give back his cost-of-living raise, which would have pushed his $285,000 salary as police chief past $300,000, according to Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco. Suhr is reducing his pay by at least 5 percent. 

Mazzucco said Suhr decided to make the gesture as a symbolic show of support for wage concessions — instead of layoffs — a move that some officers appear to support following the popular former captain's appointment.

In his first hours as police chief, Suhr is clearly employing symbolism to signify change. As one of his first moves, he removed the lock that his predecessor, George Gascón, had installed on the door of the chief's office on the fifth floor of the Hall of Justice on Bryant Street.

While Mayor Ed Lee and police commissioners say they did not select Suhr for his help getting concessions from the police rank and file, Lee must close the city's $300 million budget gap.

Suhr's appointment has shifted the mood inside the San Francisco Police Department around budget negotiations, according to officers and union officials. The San Francisco Police Officers Association previously said it would not agree to more concessions. After the police department told Lee that it would trim only 8 percent of the requested 10 percent from the department's budget, the mayor threatened to lay off 100 officers, according to Kevin Martin, the union's vice president.

On Thursday, Martin appeared caught off guard by news that Suhr gave up some of his pay but called the gesture “fabulous.” He said the association and its members want to avoid layoffs at all costs.

“That's working through example. If he's willing to do that, that's certainly taking a leadership role,” Martin said. “With Greg Suhr at the helm, people might be a little more willing to play well with the city.”

Suhr could not be reached for comment on why he agreed to give up some of his pay. In an interview after his swearing in Wednesday, he signaled that the department is prepared to make sacrifices.

"When economy has been good, we've benefited from it," he said. "Now that the economy has gone the other way, the officers are willing to go back to do whatever needs to be done to keep the city safe. I'm sure there's going to have to be some adjustments."