Wilmington Police Department facing major challenges in finding, retaining officers

For Chief Donny Williams and leaders of the Wilmington Police Department, it hasn't been easy recruiting and keeping officers in recent years.

Since 2020, Wilmington police has lost about 40 to 50 officers to retirements or resignations. But Williams said there is some light at the end of tunnel, with recruiters Josh Graham and Robert Quinn hiring close to 30 officers in the past 12 months.

During a Tuesday joint news conference with New Hanover County District Attorney Bed David and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Williams said protests and feelings towards police after the murder of George Floyd may have turned people away from the job.

"For a young person just getting into this line of work, it could really make you think though some emotions," he said. "You're getting in this line of work and people are saying they hate for no reason just because of your uniform and the fact that you want to serve."

In addition to what he called "anti-law enforcement rhetoric," he said officers hired in the 90s are retiring and the amount of people leaving are catching up when it comes to numbers.

As of Tuesday, Williams said the department is down 10 positions. But in reality, Williams added the department is down by about 40 to 50 officers because of training. It takes about nine months to train a new Wilmington police officer. There are about a dozen people in various stages of field training. It was 20 a few weeks ago, but more people are completing the process. Ten will be graduating from the police academy soon. Some are out of state and are awaiting certification, while others are planning to attend later in the summer.

Once they join the department, Williams said keeping them is another important aspect.

Williams said there are several steps involved starting with the hiring process, which takes about a month or two for people with no experience. Next is 16 weeks of basic law enforcement training, followed by many other steps taking many more months of preparation. Williams said it could take 18 months to three years for an officer to fully function in their role.

"That's if we keep them the entire time," he said. "What has been frustrating for us, we have had people to go through basic law enforcement training, go to the public school, get to the end of field training, and they decide that the city of Wilmington is not the best agency for them. And then they'll go work for another agency and basically we've opened up a window and thrown $40,000 out of it."

On Monday, Williams said Wilmington police officers responded to more than 473 calls for service. The typical day is anywhere from 300 to 500 calls. Williams is confident legislation will help the department fill voids to have more officers in the area. Wilmington was one of the few cities in the state to have a civilian crash investigator to make up for shortages. After the program was authorized in 2007, it expanded in 2020.

More: In a fender bender? Meet the Wilmington Police Department civilian unit ready to help.

"Those calls for service don't care if you're down five officers or 55 officers, they will continue to come in," he said.

Wilmington police also opened one of the first virtual response units in the state, which is operated by civilian personnel.

"We are thinking out of the box to meet the daily needs that our citizens require from us," he said.

New Hanover District Attorney Ben David said it's a tough time in Wilmington and across the country because of national conversations regarding police and the economy. During protests in 2020, David said he went out and talked to people about understanding their frustrations, while encouraging them to join the department.

"We're hiring," he said. "Don't just speak truth to power, become powerful."

He said district attorney offices around the state are not immune, with a 12% vacancy rate at any time. David, like Williams, is hopeful that funding at the local and state level can help.

"When communities said we should defund the police, this community has actually given raises," David said about the support from local officials. "It really helped keep us in the position we are in now to hold the line. We are able to continue to protect and serve and deliver on that promise containing the constitution of equal protection."

Attorney General Josh Stein spoke about legislation for law enforcement and retention. According to Stein's research, 506 fewer recruits took the Basic Law Enforcement Training Exam last year compared to 2019. In 2021, retirement increased by 45% and resignation increased by 18%. He also noted there were 492 more law enforcement separations than new appointments in the state between 2020 and 2021.

Some of the proposals and strategies regarding recruitment and retention include the Criminal Justice Fellows Program, hiring bonuses, launching an out-of-state recruiting campaign, stopping pension penalties, and offering mental health assistance.

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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington Police Department challenged with hiring officers