A recent class of probationery officers in the Yonkers Police Department
Op-Ed by Keith Olson
Imagine a profession so dangerous that you must strap on a bulletproof vest and wear a gun on your hip before you start work. An occupation so difficult that a split-second mistake can put you in the grave or behind bars. Envision a line of work that is so scrutinized that you are required to mount a camera on your chest so the entire world can see your every misstep. Consider a job so stressful that the suicide rate is 54% higher than other professions (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8056254/). Imagine choosing a career that offers all this and you have to work on holidays and birthdays and make far less money than your friends and family. This is the job of the American police officer. Is it any wonder that cops are retiring and resigning in droves and that recruitment for new officers is in crisis?
The job of the police officer has always been a difficult one. As a recently retired police detective, I can personally attest to this, having spent more than 34 years with the City of Yonkers Police Department in New York. Despite the danger and difficulties that I faced throughout my career, I say with no hesitation that I absolutely loved the profession I chose. I love it still. That is why it breaks my heart knowing that the dangerous and unsustainable burdens being put on today’s police officers have resulted in a nationwide police recruitment and retention problem. This is a huge dilemma, not only for the law enforcement community, but for our nation as a whole.
The U.S. Department of Justice recognized this problem in a recently published report titled “Recruitment and Retention for the Modern Law Enforcement Agency” (https://bja.ojp.gov/doc/recruitment-retention-modern-le-agency.pdf). This important report points to a myriad of reasons behind the recruitment and retention dilemma. Some of these issues include substandard pay and benefits, the negative public perception of law enforcement, the increased stress and burnout caused in part by the erosion of public trust in the profession, concerns of officer wellness and safety, rapid changes in community expectations of police and more. The DOJ acknowledges a “historic crisis in recruiting and retaining qualified candidates” while crucially recognizing the impact this crisis has on violent crime reduction, overall public safety and community trust.
Evidence of the recruitment issue can be found all over the country. Only days ago, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency due to a police officer shortage. According to Landry, police departments in the state are experiencing record low staffing levels due to the recruitment and retention crisis “resulting in increased crime and less public safety.”
Disturbingly, in the wake of the police involved beating death of Tyre Nichols in January of 2023, there were reports that despite offering a $15,000 signing bonus, the Memphis Police Department was compelled to lower its hiring standards in order to maintain staffing levels prior to the Nichols killing. These lowered standards included asking for waivers for candidates with criminal records. Nichols’ beating death resulted in five Memphis officers being charged with second-degree murder (https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/02/07/memphis-police-lowered-hiring-standards-ahead-of-tyre-nichols-beating-former-lieutenant-claims/). Incidents like this highlight the importance of maintaining a highly effective police hiring process. I think it’s fair to say that the only thing worse than not hiring enough police officers is hiring the wrong police officers.
The City of Alameda Police Department in California is finding it so difficult to attract police candidates that it is offering a $75,000 signing bonus to take the job (https://abc7news.com/alameda-police-department-75k-signing-bonus-recruit-incentives-officer-pay/14334580/). Additionally, the Arcata City Council, also in California, recently voted to offer a $50,000 bonus for new officers because it was struggling to fill vacant police positions (https://www.times-standard.com/2023/04/20/arcata-council-oks-50k-hiring-bonus-to-draw-more-police-officers/). Proving the recruitment troubles are not confined to the west coast, the Lebanon PD in New Hampshire is offering a $30,000 signing bonus, representing nearly half of their starting salary. Police Departments all over the country are being forced to offer huge signing bonuses due to a lack of people wanting to become a police officer.
Even more confirmation of the nationwide “badge drain” can be seen in the nation’s largest police force, the NYPD, where officers are leaving in droves (https://nypost.com/2023/03/10/nypd-cops-resigning-from-force-in-2023-at-record-pace/). It is believed that more than 3,000 police officers either resigned or retired in 2023. In my neighboring City of Mount Vernon, the retention issue has been described as an “epidemic” with nearly 100 officers leaving the MVPD since 2020, roughly half of the entire police force (https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mount-vernon-police-union-says-low-pay-has-led-to-dozens-of-officers-leaving-for-other-departments/).
So where do we go from here? First and foremost, we need our elected officials to admit and understand this very real dilemma. Again, understanding how recruitment and retention are inexorably tied to reducing violent crime, to bonding with the community and to overall public safety is paramount. This is not simply a problem for law enforcement agencies. This is a problem for all of America. If we want our police departments comprised of our best, brightest, most dedicated and diverse people; something we all should want; we must see the problem for what it is and have the desire and determination to fix it.
Like most problems, solutions to this one will likely be found through sound and productive discourse. Our public officials must convene with members of the law enforcement community (from both the supervisory and rank and file levels) as well as community leaders, put everything on the table and present realistic and timely solutions. Topics of discussion should include finding ways to improve salaries, benefits and pensions for police officers, the impact that criminal justice and police reform has had on the recruitment and retention of police officers and finding ways to enhance officers mental and physical health and wellness, just to name a few.
The last 14 years of my nearly 35-year career with the Yonkers Police Department was spent as the President of the Yonkers Police Benevolent Association. Representing the men and women who risk their lives protecting the City of Yonkers was an honor I will cherish for the rest of my life. It also taught me an awful lot, including what it takes to maintain and foster a healthy, productive and compassionate police department. At the core of the success we’ve had in Yonkers, which includes consistently being named one of the safest communities of our size in the country (https://yonkerstimes.com/wallethub-names-yonkers-the-safest-city-in-new-york-state-and-8th-safest-in-the-us/), has been cultivating solid morale amongst the men and women who serve our community. Yet even in the Yonkers PD, where morale and work conditions are better than most and despite a well-organized recruitment effort, we had an astounding 40% less people take our last entry exam held in 2021 as compared to the prior exam in 2017.
America has a problem. Let’s fix it before it’s too late.
Keith Olson is a retired 34 year veteran of the Yonkers Police Department and former 14 year President of the Yonkers PBA. He is the President of the Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester and is the founder and CEO of KO Solutions & Strategies.
