Police recruiting numbers a crisis nationwide
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The deaths of four law enforcement officers in Charlotte Monday are putting a spotlight on the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.
As agencies across the country mourn the loss of their brothers, they, too, need support.
According to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, there are about 18,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows the industry employs about one million workers, most of whom are sworn officers.
CMPD officer hires up 69 percent to create largest recruiting class since 2010
The IACP says that when you compare the size of the workforce to the growing U.S. population, officers serve more people with often fewer resources.
A survey conducted by IACP shows that 75% of agencies reported needing help recruiting qualified candidates, and 65% said fewer candidates are applying.
“It is always a balance trying to make sure that we are upholding the standards in hiring the proper officers to fill these roles; obviously, that has to be a must,” IACP Chief member Wade Carpenter said. “All agencies need to ensure that we are not lowering our standards to fill positions, and that’s a difficult thing in today’s world. It’s a very different time to try to hire, recruit officers, and retain officers.”
Carpenter, who also serves as Park City (Utah)’s Police Chief, says agencies must better manage their officers’ mental health.
“A lot of times when we had a critical incident like this in our agencies, in the past, we weren’t very good at recognizing the stressors and what it was causing. These are real losses. These are brothers and sisters in law enforcement. They become very bonded to each other. So, if, as administrators, we don’t recognize that this is truly impacting our officers, provide them an opportunity and actually create an environment where we can receive the treatment that they need and the help that they need doesn’t have a stigma attached is very, very important,” he said.
CMPD officer hires up 69 percent to create largest recruiting class since 2010
While agencies across the country have struggled to recruit officers for years, CMPD has recently made strides in filling open positions.
CMPD said Recruit Class 196 graduated 58 members in April as the department is seeing an increase in hiring and expanded training academy classes to offset a sworn officer shortage.
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