Last Year, US Police Resignations Increased by 43% Compared to 2019
Despite Increased Hiring, Recruitment Shortages Persist
Popularity Plummeted After COVID-19 and George Floyd Incident
It is reported that U.S. police are struggling with staff attrition and recruitment difficulties. This is analyzed to be due to the impact of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd incident.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 25th (local time), U.S. police are working to overcome the departure of disgruntled officers and the sudden decline in police applications. Although there are no real-time federal government statistics on police employment, a previous survey by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) of 184 police departments nationwide found that resignations in 2021 increased by 43% compared to 2019, and retirements rose by 24%. In particular, while the number of hires last year slightly increased compared to 2020, it significantly decreased compared to 2019. This trend is reported to have continued this year as well.
This trend appears to be primarily due to COVID-19. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, more people have sought work-life balance (work-life balance), and preference for public servants has declined. American society is known to be experiencing a so-called 'public servant shortage' during the economic restructuring process after COVID-19. The NYT reported, "Due to low unemployment rates, abundant job opportunities, and the spread of remote work, people have begun to pursue better wages, careers, and vacations they can spend with their families." Accordingly, many departments within the police are already facing officers nearing retirement age.
The bigger reason is the George Floyd incident. In May 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, died due to excessive force by a white police officer, leading to large-scale protests condemning police forces across the U.S. and the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. Experts believe that police popularity has significantly declined following these series of disturbances. Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, said, "(The Floyd death incident) was not just an event in Minneapolis but unprecedentedly affected the entire nation," adding, "It made police applicants and current officers rethink what policing means in America today."
According to a recent meeting held by this forum in Washington, national police executives expressed opinions that "there are not enough people willing and able to fight crime, there is a shortage of shift workers, and there is insufficient public trust in the police." Adrian Diaz, chief of the Seattle Police Department, explained that since 2020, they have lost hundreds of officers, including some precincts left vacant for weeks. He lamented, "We need not only officers to serve the community but also officers capable of responding to mass shootings."
Since the death of George Floyd in 2020, the 'Black Lives Matter' movement condemning police brutality has intensified. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
In protest of the George Floyd incident, demonstrators at the time chanted slogans such as "Defund the Police." Chief Diaz said, "During the time when such slogans became central to political discourse, many officers felt unrecognized by politicians and residents," adding, "Some officers accepted signing bonuses to join suburban departments, while others left the profession entirely."
According to him, the Seattle Police Department offers a $30,000 (about 40 million KRW) bonus to officers transferring from other areas and a $7,500 (about 10 million KRW) bonus to new hires. New officers in Seattle earn a salary of $83,000 (about 100 million KRW), and officers with transfer experience earn over $90,000 (about 115 million KRW), but recruitment difficulties persist.
Other regions are also making efforts to recruit police officers. Louisville, Kentucky, provides airfare, hotel accommodations, and even police-driven vehicles to applicants from other states. Fairfax County, Virginia, has relaxed hiring regulations regarding hairstyles and tattoos and offers bonuses to new officers.
Kevin Davis, chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, said, "This is different from the past when applicants lined up," adding, "We have no choice but to rethink the recruitment process." He emphasized, "Above all, recruiters are trying to build personal relationships with applicants," and "We need to find ways to inspire young people to want to do this challenging work."
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