The numbers are daunting. According to a PERF survey of departments across the country, 65% saw an increase in retirements and 66% saw an increase in resignations between 2020 and 2022. Applications for full-time officer jobs plunged 69% over that same period, while overall staffing levels dropped nearly 5%…
Full story: Why is there a police officer shortage, and what are the solutions?
How does the decline in people applying to join law enforcement, and active police officers resigning/retiring reflect the current state of the criminal justice system? In the article “Why is there a police officer shortage, and what are the solutions?” it is shown that according to a country-wide survey, there was a 65% increase in retirements and a 66% increase in resignations between 2020 and 2022. Along with this application, submissions saw a sharp decline as well. Mass public criticism is what is believed to have led to the mass decline in members of law enforcement, specifically the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The strain of working in law enforcement during COVID and post-COVID could have also led to the decline of officers as overtime and added stress piled up. Agencies have sought to get more applicants by shortening the hiring process, allowing prior drug users to apply, and attempting to reconnect with the younger generation through social media and community outreach. I ask how the decline of current and future law enforcement officers reflects the current state of the criminal justice system because most of the events covered in this article are recent as of the time of writing.
Decline in law enforcement puts a lot of strain on officers as well as the department. Eventually officers get tired of the extra stress that understaffing causes and they resign. The ways that are currently being used to fix this issue result in lowering standards for police department hires. I don’t believe agencies should be lowering their standards in order to fill up police departments. If agencies start allowing prior drug users they could run into problems down the road. Lowering the standards could end in problems such as the murder of George Floyd. This would most definitely help with officers who have to work over-time and deal with exhaustion.
A decision has to be made whether that is worth the risk of lowering standards.
Lowering standards is definetely a tactic being used in more than just law enforcement: Armed services too. Every Precinct definitely needs more LEOs, but the problem is, almost every action of a LEO is now critiqued. At the same time you have the lowering of standards. I do not think a balance could be achieved easily as every human being will think differently even on the same subject, ignoring group think. Standards need to be kept up, like the example you used, prior users. But since everyone is hurting for staff, how is one supposed to keep up other than community outreach or lowering standards?
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