Oh, boy! The police department in the nation’s capital is having some trouble keeping their officers. They’re leaving faster than they can be replaced, which is causing some issues. Apparently, the department is spending millions on overtime which is not great for the budget. They’re having a hard time combatting gun violence and carjackings with only 3,350 sworn officers at the end of March. That’s a net loss of about 450 officers over the past three years!
The D.C. police force’s mayor, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), has said she wants the department to have 4,000 officers by 2031. Although, Police Chief Robert J. Contee III said he expected the size of the force to get even smaller, to about 3,130 by the end of fiscal year 2024. Yikes! That doesn’t sound too good. But, what can you do? Well, given the city’s current budget restrictions and a dearth of people applying for police jobs across the county, we have an issue.
The police department’s head honcho, Chief Contee, told lawmakers that the maximum size of the police force is no longer necessary or productive. I mean, who needs a maximum size limit anyway, right? He predicts that absent significant shifts in national employment levels, the environment for law enforcement, or the interest of younger generations in long-term government careers, MPD staffing may not recover for more than a decade. Who knew being a police officer was so unpopular?
Police departments across the nation are struggling to hire and retain officers. Experts say it’s because fewer people want to work as police officers because of fatigue over crime and civil unrest, heightened scrutiny, low pay and a lack of interest in government service. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work in law enforcement with all those perks?
However, discussions about the budget and the size of the police force are coinciding with federal lawmakers taking an interest in crime in the capital. Congress voted to block a controversial overhaul of the city’s criminal code last month, in part because it would have lowered the statutory maximum penalty for certain crimes, including carjacking. Republicans are now targeting a separate police reform bill passed by the D.C. Council but President Biden says he plans to veto any effort to block the measure from becoming law. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get caught in the middle of that mess.
So, what’s the plan for the mayor? She’s facing a projected revenue drop due to lower-than-expected commercial tax revenue, so she’s proposed spending $516 million on police in fiscal year 2024. That’s a 2 percent decrease from this fiscal year. However, her plan, subject to Council approval, would maintain $5.4 million in recruitment and bonuses for new police hires, and would continue to fund alternative justice programs.
Chief Contee said his goal is to hire 20 new officers each month. But, they’re losing 30 to 35 officers a month. To make up for the shortfall of officers, the department has spent $1.1 million in overtime hours in each of the past two years. Overtime, anyone?
D.C. recently offered $20,000 signing bonuses to entice recruits, and later increased the amount to $25,000. Contee said 71 recruits have received the bonus so far, and there is enough money to pay out another 230 in the coming year. Last year, the police union ratified a new contract offering raises, making the department more competitive. If only that would solve everything, right?
The Police Executive Research Forum surveyed law enforcement agencies in 38 states and D.C. and found that departments have increased the pace of hiring, but are not able to keep up with attrition. The institute, which advises on best practices for law enforcement agencies, found that the total police staffing of the agencies surveyed dropped nearly 5 percent over the past three years. Maybe they should start offering free pizza to entice people to work as police officers.
Homicides in D.C. exceeded 200 in each of the past two years, which the city hadn’t crossed since 2003. That’s not funny, that’s just sad. Apparently, the killings were up 31 percent from this time in 2022. But, the Washington Post-Schar School poll found more than half of residents across the D.C. area perceive crime to be serious in the District. I mean, I don’t know what they’re talking about, I always feel safe here.
Some advocates argue that more police officers do not guarantee less crime. They claim more investments are needed in community-led programs to address underlying causes of crime. “We must reclaim what public safety looks like,” said Makia Green, co-conductor for Harriet’s Wildest Dreams. Alrighty then!
D.C. leaders have long debated how many officers its police department needs. In 2016, police warned that falling below 3,800 officers would make the force dangerously thin. Vincent C. Gray, a former mayor and current Democrat representing Ward 7 in the Council, has said he believes the department needs 4,200 officers. While homicides did go down from 2009 through 2014 when the department had around 3,900 members, overall crime increased 14 percent. That’s a tough game to play.
A D.C. reform commission recommended a smaller police department, with money diverted to programs that treat crime as a public health issue. The D.C. Council reduced the police budget by $15 million in 2020. However, police officials assert that the cut forced a year-long hiring freeze that exacerbated the problem of hiring and retaining officers in D.C. Maybe next time they need to hire more comedians to liven things up.
At the D.C. Council hearing at which Contee testified in March, Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), disputed that. Parker told the police chief, adding it was unfair to suggest the 2020 cut is to blame for today’s staffing woes. “It’s about how we attract and retain officers.” Clearly, these guys need to start offering a free dog to anyone who applies to work as a police officer.
Contee countered that the budget cut had an impact. In 2020, the chief said, “we stopped hiring” and it took months to restart vetting and training officers once hiring resumed a year later. In the meantime, he said, hundreds of officers left. I think they need to start offering scented candles to anyone who takes the job.
So, there you have it folks. The police department in D.C. is facing some serious staffing issues. They’re trying to hire new officers with large signing bonuses, but they’re still losing more officers than they can replace. They need to figure out a way to retain their current officers and attract new ones, it’s as simple as that! Maybe they need to start offering free trips to Hawaii to anyone who applies.
Serious News: washingtonpost
