An essential problem for law enforcement in across the nation; but more specifically: California is police retention, recruiting, and low staff levels. My background that has led me to pick this topic has come from my 11+ years of being a sworn officer and 2 years of being a full-time sworn recruiter. I’ve many friends and colleagues pack up and leave our department for more conservative states who appreciate their law enforcement officers.
Incidents like mandatory Covid shots, Mandatory overtime, and the George Floyd riots may have been contributing reasons but retention goes further back than that. These issues are all highly affected by the current environment in law enforcement which causes early retirements and resignations. This problem not only affects the working capacity of our department but also influences community safety and trust. I would like to investigate approaches to this problem and enhance retention and recruitment initiatives. Some questions I will be answering in my portfolio are:
- What factors are particular climate-making in law enforcement in California?
- What are the impacts of early retirements and resignations on police departments in California?
- Which successful approaches have been employed in other states that suffer similar problems with police retention?
- What are the forms of incentives that can be used to recruit and retain officers in California?
- How does community perception impact the officers’ decision to stay or leave their jobs?