Police exodus: Officers leaving their jobs at a "never before seen" rate
The Vice-President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Steven Casstevens, said they struggle with recruitment and retention.
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) President Patrick Yoes warned at the third annual Faith & Blue conference in Washington, D.C., about a crisis brewing in law enforcement. In his words, security officers are leaving their jobs at a rate never seen before. He also pointed out the difficult situation in the country where law enforcement has been demonized:
Some of the country's top police officials, backed Yoes claiming that several of their departments have experienced a drop of up to hundreds of members compared to the same period last year.
Dire situation
With crime on the rise, movements like Defund the Police are gaining popularity in the country. The lack of resources for the police may be one of the greatest threats to U.S. citizens. Law enforcement is charged with defending citizens from crime and, according to data released by the Major Cites Chiefs Association homicides in major cities have increased 50% since 2019.
So far this year, more than 210 police and law enforcement officers have been shot while working, 14% more than at the same time last year, according to data provided by the FOP. Line-of-duty officer deaths soared 55% from 2020 to 2021, according to statistics from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Rev. Markel Hutchins, CEO of Movement Forward, told the Fox network that law enforcement agencies will not be able to recruit, retain or attract new talent if police officers continue to work in the same circumstances and situations in which they work now:
Steven Casstevens, Vice-President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, said they struggle with recruitment and retention. He emphasized the noticeable shift in applications for jobs:
Washington and New York among the most affected cities
Robert Contee, chief of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department commented to Fox News that his office employs 300 fewer officers than when he began his tenure in 2021: "That's significant for our police department." Contee, who also spoke as a member of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said the need for more staff and staff retention has "a big impact."
With respect to the Big Apple, the New York Post reported that 2,465 Police Department officers have filed their papers to leave the agency so far in 2022. This includes the 71% who did so before they were entitled to their full pensions. The figure is a 42% jump from the 1,731 agents who left the job at the same time in 2021, the report notes.