Shortage of police officers becoming 'a crisis across the country' as there are fewer cadets, more retirements
Jun. 22—The "perfect storm" is developing in police departments as fewer candidates are entering the profession, police officers are being publicly criticized following the killing of unarmed Blacks, departments are slashing their budgets and officers are retiring faster than they can be replaced.
Michael Weinman, director of government affairs for the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, called the shortage of police officers "a crisis across the country."
In 1995, when Weinman took the police academy examination in Columbus, there were about 6,000 cadets, he said. Today, that number is less than 2,000, he said.
The number of sworn-in officers in the United States consistently increased between 1997 and 2013. But for the next three years, that number dropped by more than 23,000 officers, according to the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The number of officers per capita is down even more sharply, from 2.42 per 1,000 residents in 1997 to 2.17 officers per 1,000 in 2016.
According to a recent survey by the National Police Foundation, 86% of departments reported a staffing shortage. That shortage is being felt locally, too. Several Butler County police chiefs have expressed concerns about the dwindling size of their departments.
It also has caused the cancellation of two community events in Monroe.
Chief Bob Buchanan said he has three vacancies and he recently received another letter of resignation, pushing his vacancies to four. Plus, he said, three Monroe officers are injured and off duty for varying durations.
Instead of having 36 sworn officers and being at full staff, Monroe will soon have 29 officers on the streets, the chief said.
He recently discussed the officer shortage with City Manager Bill Brock, according to a weekly update Brock sent to council members.
Buchanan told Brock the department was at minimum staffing for the majority of the three shifts.
The chief said the department will fill some of the gaps with its School Resource Officers and Community Service Officer for the foreseeable future. Because of those assignments, the department will not be able to hold the Monroe Night Out or the Touch A Truck, he said.
He said the department is hopeful it can hire these positions, but it may also have to cancel or postpone the Food Truck Fair that was being planned for the middle of September.
The shortage of officers "is a concern," said Buchanan, who called being a police officer "one of the most difficult professions in the country."
In a 2019 survey by the Police Execution Research Forum, the length of service for police officers has been showing a significant decline. Within their first year on the job, 29% of officers resign and within five years, 69% have left their departments.
Weinman, who was shot and paralyzed while a Columbus police officer in 1998, said there are several reasons for the shortage including the number of officers reaching retirement eligibility, the anti-police sentiment, the competition for officers and the "unpredictability" of city leaders.
"Officers don't know if the rules with change in two weeks or two years," Weinman said.
Weinman said it's also difficult for smaller police departments to be competitive for officers. He said some departments are paying $90,000 a year to attract officers.
