New York City is struggling to recruit more police officers after a mass amount of experienced officials retired, according to the New York Post.
The New York Police Department\u2019s (NYPD) March officer exam far underscored the amount of applicants the department expected, with 1,300 signing up to take the test compared to the 3,000 expected, sources told the NYP. This year\u2019s second exam, which took place on Thursday, didn\u2019t meet expectations, once again, despite incentives given by the NYPD.
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\u201cThe NYPD\u2019s best recruiting tool has always been word of mouth,\u201d Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry told the NYP. \u201cBut right now the word is, \u2018Stay away.\u2019\u201d
The NYPD extended the registration deadline for the most recent exam by a month, offered contracts with increased pay and waived the $40 application fee, according to the NYP.
The NYPD didn\u2019t hold any exams in 2015 and 2016 due to \u201ctoo many applicants,\u201d but has ramped up testing over the past few years to one to three times annually, according to the NYP. In 2017, 18,463 individuals took two exams, 14,127 took one exam in 2019 and 6,489 took three exams in 2022 \u2014 a 65% plummet from 2017, the sources said.
\u201cWe thought it would be better after the contract, but it\u2019s not,\u201d one law enforcement source told the NYP.
Record number of police quitting. #NYCDistrictAttorney & @NYCC drove away 1,200 police last yr. Huge shortage of officers. Pay 2 low, 2 much required overtime & criminals rarely prosecuted. NYPD exodus continues as cops feel ‘squeezed from every directio
A contributing factor to the NYPD\u2018s recruitment struggles is that many officers don\u2019t want to recommend their job to family members, citing concerns over safety and lost livelihoods, Hendry told the NYP.
\u201cThey don\u2019t want them constantly hyper-scrutinized and second-guessed,\u201d Hendry said. \u201cIf the NYPD wants to fix its recruitment problem, it needs to make this a job that cops can recommend.\u201d
Many experienced police officers echoed Hendry\u2019s sentiment, with one who\u2019s been a member of the NYPD for roughly 30 years telling the NYP, \u201cthe job is never happy.\u201d
\u201cPatrol treats people like s\u2014,\u201d another officer of over 20 years told the NYP. \u201cI told my son to do something else.\u201d
Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, told the NYP the police recruitment problem that plagues the entire country was exacerbated following the death of George Floyd in 2020.
\u201cTraditionally, in policing, you would have the legacy factor, meaning cops\u2019 kids and family members would go on to be police officers,\u201d Wexler told the NYP. \u201cToday, if you walk into a room in most places in the country, and you say to cops, how many of you would like to see your children or your brothers be cops? Very few raise their hands.\u201d
The NYPD did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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