Why is it so hard to find new cops?
Feb. 26, 2016, 10:45 a.m.
Has Black Lives Matter taken a toll on the Philadelphia Police Department?
They're running at an officer deficit, with approximately 200 more officers needed to plug the gap. In recent years, they haven't been able to recruit enough. Former Commissioner Charles Ramsey has said outrage over police brutality in the last year (after widely covered police shootings and ensuing protests) has made the recruitment process more difficult, and hurts efforts to attract more officers of color.
New Commissioner Richard Ross couldn't say if the Black Lives Matter movement was playing a role though.
The Police Department would only share recruitment numbers from the last five years, but CBS News reports that in 2008, Philadelphia Police brought in 357 new recruits. In 2015, they recruited 172.
While Ramsey cited other reasons for potential recruitment downturn, like competitive wages, his comments linking the numbers to mounting activism against police brutality made national news. Rob Davis, chief social scientist at the Police Foundation, finds Ramsey's perspective interesting, but hasn't seen any research that concurs yet. While the impact of flashpoint events like unrest in Ferguson remains unmeasured, it is important to consider that hiring crises are hardly new— police departments have struggled with recruitment for nearly a generation.
Many police departments now find it nearly impossible to fill all police officer positions," William Woska wrote in the magazine Police Chief in 2006. CBS News reports that 80 percent of police agencies in the U.S. are experiencing low recruitment. Staffing shortages, research shows, can be explained by several factors. First, baby boomers are retiring, and many police departments have lower retirement age than other industries, like 50-years-old or 20 years of service. Changing attitudes and economic pressures haven't helped to make up the difference.
Police Recruitment and Retention for the New Millennium and Police Chief both observe that newer job seekers might be looking for a field with a better work-life balance. Competitive pay, as Ramsey said, is also noted: A young person who wants a job that will keep them active and allow them help others might make tens of thousands more as physical therapist.
That's if they're in the proper shape to pass a required physical exam— many interested candidates in this smaller pool might not be. "A high amount of people are failing the physical agility test," says Ryan. Young recruits, according to the Rand researchers, aren't "meet[ing] minimum qualifications, such as a clean criminal record, little to no drug use, good physical health, and financial stability" as often.