Police departments facing 'historic crisis' in finding, keeping officers should make changes: DOJ report

WASHINGTON – Police departments are grappling with a "historic crisis in recruiting and retaining" officers because of a tight labor market during the pandemic and community frustrations, the Justice Department said, recommending a series of policy changes Tuesday to find and keep officers.

The recommendations came in response to a survey of 182 police agencies across 38 states and Washington, D.C., that found a decline in sworn officers and hiring that couldn’t keep pace with losses.

The total number of sworn officers dropped from 83,497 in January 2020 to 79,464 in January, according to the survey by the Police Executive Research Forum. Hiring has begun to rebound, from 4,889 in 2020 to 6,759 last year, according to the survey.

“However, agencies are losing officers faster than they can hire new ones, so total sworn staffing has continued to decline,” the survey found.

The hiring and retention problems for police accompanied a global pandemic sent the economy into a spiral and protests against police followed high-profile deaths of suspects in custody.

"In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a tightening labor market, heightened community frustration with the policing profession, and concerns about officer safety and well-being, law enforcement agencies across the country face an historic crisis in recruiting and retaining qualified candidates," the Justice Department report said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland designated recruitment and retention of officers a top priority and asked the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to study the issue.

“Law enforcement officers across the country are facing unprecedented challenges at a time when they are already being stretched thin,” Garland said. “Policing is a noble profession, and we are committed to doing everything we can to support local police departments as they work to serve their communities, build public trust, and keep people safe.”

A group of 30 law enforcement and community leaders met on April 18 to discuss options that eventually led to the report.

“We know this is a crisis,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in opening the forum. “We recognize that this moment calls for deep reflection and big ideas. And it also calls for concrete strategies that departments can start using now and can rely on in the future.”

Recommendations in the report include modernizing eligibility requirements and streamlining hiring. For example, a prohibition against hiring a candidate with a criminal record could remain, but a requirement for the candidate to meet physical fitness standards could be postponed until training at the police academy.

Chief Cory Tchida of the police department in Georgetown, Texas, offers a personal touch. As soon as someone applies online, the agency contacts them and invites the potential candidate to tour the department and learn about the organization.

“The amount of feedback we have already received about this personal touch has been incredible,” Tchida said. “It has actually influenced some to choose us over other agencies that aren’t doing this. Feeling valued is a powerful motivator.”

Accepting candidates to non-sworn positions, which could provide salary and experience, could prevent them from finding other jobs between a sparse number of academy training sessions, the report said.

The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, which oversees the training of 10,000 officers and deputies across the state, changed its five-month program in 2012 from a “boot camp” model berating recruits to coaching recruits about how to improve.

Other recommendations to keep officers on the force included incentives such as retention bonuses or tuition reimbursement rather than signing bonuses could help departments keep trained officers, the report said. So could eliminating caps on pensions and overtime pay.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police need to change hiring in 'historic' staffing crisis: DOJ report