The number of police officer resignations in 2021 was 43% higher than in 2019, and the number of new hires significantly declined over the same two-year period, the newspaper said, citing a survey conducted by a police research organization in 2022.
Many officers left service against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd riots in 2020. As the US economy reorganized through crisis, new job opportunities and the spread of remote work encouraged people to seek better pay, new career paths or more time off for their private lives, the report said.
Police departments across the US are reportedly resorting to financial and non-financial incentives to attract new officers and prevent those already in service from leaving.
A police department in Seattle has been offering $30,000 for officers moving to work in the city from other departments and $7,500 for new employees, while Minneapolis was ready to pay $7,000 to those intending to leave service, the report said. Other departments use targeted advertising and simplify the recruitment process to attract new staff.