The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/policing/training-recruitment/)
During New Orleans’ high-crime years, its level of police staffing was the subject of perennial angst. Now, with homicides and other violence plummeting, it barely rates a mention in budget talks.
Police Executive Research Forum’s new survey says police departments are facing a workplace hiring and retention crisis with a “triple threat” of a decrease in applications, early exits and higher rates of retirement.
Videos of police officers using excessive force and controversies over fatal shootings surface regularly. In response, many police departments have updated their training on such subjects as dealing with the public, deescalation, mental health and implicit bias.
More than two years after vowing to replenish its ranks, Dallas’ police department continues to shrink through attrition. Higher pay hasn’t turned the tide, so the city is brainstorming other ways to get back in the recruiting game.
In Indiana cities like Bloomington and Columbus, police recruiters say the challenges they face in recruiting and retaining officers have prompted them to add perks, loosen entry restrictions, and boost pay in order to compete for a dwindling pool of talent.