Where Have All The Cops Gone?

Be careful what you ask for because once the people who bleed blue stop caring, the darkness of the world will have no keepers.

 

–Bradley Nickell

 

Some time ago, I was contacted by a close friend living in a small city (Population 100K) over an issue concerning her. While she is very liberal politically, she is supporting a very pro-law enforcement candidate for city council. “Mike, I’m scared of walking outside of my house from the homeless camps out there.”  She mentioned how her city police department has lost almost 50 officers since the summer of 2020. In 2019, they had almost 300, they’re down a sixth of their staff.

 

I also know of another police friend who retired after 25 years, earlier than planned. She loves being a cop, but she had enough of the lack of support from her command staff, and concern one mistake could be a disaster, such as indictment, civil liability, etc. And a fellow retired veteran of Houston Police (we promoted to sergeant on the same list) put in his papers and is working at a department outside the city. He said, “Mike, I’d rather work at an agency that is supportive of me, and the population is not hostile to me.” Can’t say I blame him.

 

These are not isolated examples. Police agencies across the country have lost massive numbers of law enforcement officers (LEO). Denver CO has lost over 100 cops since 2020. New York City, in the wake of the George Floyd riots, and an openly hostile mayor and city council, lost over 5, 300 officers in 2020. The Austin Police Department has lost 130 officers from resignations/retirements since the summer of 2020. Chicago, with a department of 13, 000 officers, has lost over 400 officers since January 2021 alone (Compared with 339 in 2018, 475  in 2019, 560 in 2020). Seattle has lost over 240 officers from 2020 to mid-2021 (Approximately 20% of their staffing). Minneapolis is so short, their department is reduced to just answering 911 calls, with officers unable to conduct any proactive operations, and detectives unable to run investigations.

 

In June 2021, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) released a study on recruiting and retention, from April 2020 to March 2021, compared to April 2019-March 2020. Some highlights:

 

Recruiting overall has not been badly affected, a 5% decrease. Resignations have increased 18%, while most significantly, retirements have increased 45%. 

 

Anecdotal points from this report show fewer applicants for the open LEO positions, which means departments are having to be less selective with the people they bring on. That can be disastrous. In 1991, the New Orleans Police Department hired a woman after she failed her phycological exam. The woman, Antoinette Franks, sits on Louisiana death row for the murder of multiple people at a restaurant she worked an extra job at. One of them was her police partner, Ronnie Williams. 

 

Other issues shown include departments having to check social media, another task on recruiting, and potential recruits not making minimum qualifications. Experienced officers are resigning from major urban areas, and heading to suburban/rural/smaller agencies, to not have to deal with the issues on the streets, and their current employers (e.g., New York City, Chicago). Multiple agencies report more officers are retiring as soon as there are eligible, and the leaving the profession completely. A significant point, many are not staying to “max out” their pensions, but leaving with money “on the table.” My friend who retired at 25 years could have entered the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), but chose not to. That was over one-hundred thousand dollars she “left on the table.”

 

Morale is at a critically low point right now, for a host of reasons. Belief (Justified in many cases) that the upper department brass and politician leadership will throw cops under the bus (Four Houston cops fired for a shooting when they were no-billed by a grand jury, six cops in Baltimore indicted for false charges by a politically ambitious state’s attorney). Low manning means officers are working extra shifts, missing holidays and scheduled time off, as well as the safety issue. Then the belief of why bother. Another major issue coming up is bond “reform.”

 

The lie put forth for “bond reform” was poor people with non-violent offenses were sitting in jail, unable to raise money to get out, loosing their jobs, didn’t have someone to take care of their children, etc. A classic story was, “This will help the single mother who was arrested for driving to her job with a suspended license. We’ll still keep the felons in jail.” That is a bold faced lie.

 

Fox 26 Houston has produced an excellent long series, Breaking Bond. Since the adoption of “bond reform,” thousands of violent felons in the Houston area have been released on multiple low cost bonds. At least 138 times in the last two years, suspects/defendants on bond for major felonies (aggravated assault, robbery, domestic violence, murder and capital murder) have been released back on the streets, and murdered people. Often the witnesses to their first crime. As the old saying goes, Snitches Get Stitches.

 

Last month the Houston Police Department lost an officer in the line of duty. He and his partner were serving a warrant on a multiple convicted felon who was released by Judge Greg Glass in spite of a long history of violent offenses, violations of bond, and a request from the district attorney for no bond. Judge Glass again granted him 30,000 in total bond, meaning he walks for 3, 000.

 

HPD lost an officer due to this judicial incompetence, and they are not the only department this is happening to. The union is calling 

on Judge Glass to resign, but he never will. We can only pray he gets defeated next year. I know of many cops who will campaign to get him off the bench.

 

At this moment, law enforcement is at an impasse. It is hemorrhaging good cops, getting cooperation from the public is problematic, and the front line is (justifiably) not trusting of its leadership, department or civilian. Until leadership is restored and trusted, the public and police cooperate, and the DAs/judges understand their job is to protect the public from the wolves at the door, it will not change. And to use the old cliche, “Women, children, and minorities Wil be hardest hit.”

  

Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch. 

 

Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.

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