Dayton Police seek recruits after highest turnover in at least 7 years
May 28—The Dayton Police Department already has seen nearly two dozen officers resign or retire this year, which is more than any recent full year, according to city data. Staffing levels and retention could remain a challenge moving forward, police officials said.
Police work is hectic and stressful, especially for officers who work in urban communities like Dayton, and the Dayton Police Department is losing some personnel to other cities that pay more and have less crime, said police Chief Kamran Afzal.
As of May 24, the Dayton Police Department had 332 sworn officers, which is down from 354 at the end of 2021.
The police department on average tries to have 365 officers on the force.
So far this year, 23 officers have retired or resigned, which is two more than in all of 2021 and six more than in all of 2020, according to department data.
No more than 22 officers have left the department in any full year since at least 2015, the data show.
Some officers are retiring, and others are leaving the profession for another career field, Afzal said, but the department also is losing officers to other police agencies.
Officers who leave often accept jobs in suburban communities across the region, some of whom offer higher compensation and have fewer critical incidents that officers must respond to, Afzal said.
Afzal said he knows some officers on the force feel the good work they do day in and day out is not acknowledged.
He said police with urban departments may face more critical scrutiny than officers with other departments.
Afzal said he would like the city to hold two police academies per year, instead of just one, to help with staffing.
Dayton's police reform efforts led to the creation a new unit focused on recruiting, as well as new policies and recommendations on how to boost interest in police jobs, with special attention given to boosting diversity.
The current police recruit class (the 111th) is expected to graduate 25 people in June, and the next one is scheduled to start this summer, which officials hope will seat close to 30.
Afzal said the police department is hiring, and applications will be accepted through July 31.
"Come join us," he said. "We have openings."
The recruitment website is www.joindaytonpd.com. That website lists the starting salary for an officer who completes the police academy at $60,112.
