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Help wanted: Law agencies try to keep up with officer shortages
  
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By STEFANIE THOMAS
Across the local area, law enforcement agencies are struggling to hire and retain qualified police officers which prompted recruiting officials for Houston and Humble police departments as well as Harris and Montgomery county agencies into one common plea: We need more officers.
As area police, sheriff’s and constable’s departments launch into recruitment campaigns and salary incentive programs they are not only fighting with the private sector to find good help in their departments but sometimes competing against each other and in some cases even lowering admission standards to put men and women in their uniforms.
“Police officer shortage is a statewide problem,” said E.C. Sherman, executive director of the Texas Police Association. “Many variables affect a police department’s ability to attract new recruits, but the chief problem is that most public agencies in Texas just cannot compete with the salaries in the private sector.”
Not only do law enforcement agencies compete fiercely among each other for qualified personnel, but they also face the disadvantage of dipping into the same applicant pool as oil companies, financial investment houses and engineering firms.
“If you look at young people in their prime of their employment potential, possibly college educated, there are jobs out there that pay better than most public agencies,” Sherman said. “The private sector just offers better benefits and pay packages than most police agencies do, at least for the caliber person police departments are looking for, with higher education, moral character and no criminal history.”
After 2001, the 9/11 disasters shifted the federal government’s focus from local police department funding to pumping money into the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security and other federal resources, said Humble Police Department training coordinator Mark Bradshaw. The sudden lack of federal support put an increased financial strain on local police departments.
A low pay scale did little to attract new recruits, so despite financial struggles, virtually all area agencies sought approval in recent times to raise entry-level salaries in an effort to at least remain competitive with other departments, if not with positions in the private sector.
At the Humble Police Department, the Precinct 4 Constable’s and the Harris County Sheriff’s offices, a first-year officer can now expect to earn about $39,500.
At HPD, qualified candidates can draw a $12,000 hiring incentive that raises the first-year base salary to about $43,000.
“At $29,000, our pay was lower than most local police departments, so City Council allowed us to increase the starting salary, a large chunk of which is in the form of a hiring incentive,” Houston Police Department Assistant Chief George Buenik of the Professional Development Command, said. “This puts us competitive with other departments in Texas.”
For fiscal year 2008, Houston City Council also budgeted a total of seven police academy training classes to add more men to the department’s ranks.
“If we hire 400 officers from those seven classes, we’ll be left with about 200 after deducting those who retire in the same time period,” Buenik explained.
The Humble Police Department is currently looking to fill two police officer positions. The Precinct 4 Constable’s Office needs 10 more deputies to be fully staffed, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is short 76 patrol deputies.
In comparison to HPD’s deficit of more than 1,000 men, these shortages seem relatively minor. Yet, Humble PD was forced to cancel a testing session in early August for lack of qualified applicants.
Recruiting officials said it’s hard to find good people for a number of reasons.
Fierce competition ranks on the top of the list and stringent requirements prove to be another obstacle.
“The criteria are so high the applicants drop off one at a time and by the time all the testing is done, you look at only 30 percent of applicants left over,” said Precinct 4 Constable’s Sgt. Diana Raney.
State law and individual department policies require agencies to perform criminal history and background checks, credit and physical evaluations, and more often than not psychological probes and polygraph tests to weed out the unfit.
At HPD, only one applicant in 20 will survive the battery of tests, plus the subsequent six-month training at the academy. At Humble PD, where state certification with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education is a prerequisite, only one in five or so applicants are in the end eligible for hire.
In Montgomery County, however, the overwhelming staffing crunch that affects some Harris County agencies seems to be less critical, despite the fact that Montgomery County salaries, at $34,000 starting pay, are lower than those of its neighbor to the south.
“We’re not grossly understaffed, although we usually have openings of some type,” said MCSO spokesman Lt. Dan Norris. “Montgomery County is a very fast growing area in terms of population. We will not reduce in size and will look for qualified applicants for some time to come.”
Montgomery County Constable’s Capt. Cy Gamble said that his department is currently fully staffed and enjoys a pool of reserve deputies from which it can draw when additional manpower is needed to come on board full time.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Arnold Wolfe, Sherman and Bradshaw agree that police departments find themselves confronted by a new generation that carries a set of values and priorities quite different from the traditional police culture.
“Kids don’t want to be police these days; it’s not cool anymore,” Wolfe said. “In the new hip-hop world, they go the other way. Going to jail used to be frowned upon; now it makes you a hero.”
Bradshaw said that the younger generation also expects quick promotions and detests micro-management.
“Most of them want a 9-to-5 job and time off to raise their family,” he explained, adding that in the old days rookie officers would jump at the chance to stay after work and ride another shift for free. “But they’re also more diversified and can easily adapt to change. That’s a great plus.”
In an effort to draw more candidates out of the woodwork, police departments have switched to an active recruiting model that includes visits to job fairs, colleges as well as military bases, advertisements in industry journals and local newspapers, and Internet ads on employment sites.
In 2007, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office prepared an action-packed recruiting video depicting the excitement of a variety of employment opportunities.
Houston City Council is currently considering a proposal by HPD to hire an advertising firm to conduct print and Internet advertisement for the department, with a price tag of $750,000.
And to better accommodate the new generation of police hopefuls, some law enforcement agencies even relaxed their entry-requirements.
The Precinct 4 Constable’s Office, for example, temporarily lowered its educational requirements, dropping the previously mandatory 30 hours of college credit.
At the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, applicants who dabbled with cocaine, for example, more than five years ago, now get the green light, according to Wolfe. In the past, ingestion of the drug at any time would have meant automatic disqualification.
“It’s the new age employee,” Wolfe said. “Kids experiment more now than they did then. We have to adjust our hiring practices to the new generation.”
Do you have what it takes?
Area law enforcement agencies are hiring. To find out more about requirements and the application process, contact the recruiting offices below. Most agencies’ websites even provide online application options.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office: Call the recruiting office at 713-921-8891 or log on to www.hcsojobs.com.
Houston Police Department: Call 713-308-1300 or log on to www.houstontx.gov/police/careers.htm; the department is currently taking applications for an academy training class beginning in late November.
Humble Police Department: Call training coordinator Mark Bradshaw at 281-319-9765, via e-mail at mdbradshaw@humblepolice.com, or log on to www.humblepolice.com/empofficer.html; the next testing session is scheduled for Oct. 11. Call for an appointment.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office: Visit www.cd4.hctx.net and click on “Employment” or call recruiting at 281-401-6337 or 6355.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office: Log on to www.mocosheriff.com and click on “Recruiting” or call 936-538-7733. You may also send inquiries via e-mail to paul.cassidy@mctx.org.
OFFICERS BY THE NUMBERS
For many law enforcement agencies in the Greater Houston area, the 1990s were the golden days in terms of staffing.
Humble Police Department training coordinator Mark Bradshaw said that during that time police departments had tremendous growth opportunity. One of the main reasons, he said, was because there were plenty of federal grants available to provide funding for law enforcement.
But around the turn of the century, as the population of Houston and its suburbs continued to grow, new hires began to stagnate. To make matters worse, baby boomers began retiring in droves, and continue to do so at a rate of about 150 to 200 retirements per year at the Houston Police Department.
In early 2004, Houston had a population of 1.8 million, served by about 5,400 police officers, said HPD spokesman John Cannon. Then a wave of retirements decimated the ranks of HPD.
“From 1996 to 1999 we had optimal staffing, 3.0 police officers for every 1,000 residents,” remembered HPD Assistant Chief George Buenik of the Professional Development Command, adding that the national average is currently 2.8 officers per 1,000.
“In 2008, our staffing is only at 2.2 officers per 1,000 population. Houston now has about 2.2 million residents, so we need about another 1,000 officers to get us back on track,” he said.
As area police, sheriff’s and constable’s departments launch into recruitment campaigns and salary incentive programs they are not only fighting with the private sector to find good help in their departments but sometimes competing against each other and in some cases even lowering admission standards to put men and women in their uniforms.
“Police officer shortage is a statewide problem,” said E.C. Sherman, executive director of the Texas Police Association. “Many variables affect a police department’s ability to attract new recruits, but the chief problem is that most public agencies in Texas just cannot compete with the salaries in the private sector.”
Not only do law enforcement agencies compete fiercely among each other for qualified personnel, but they also face the disadvantage of dipping into the same applicant pool as oil companies, financial investment houses and engineering firms.
“If you look at young people in their prime of their employment potential, possibly college educated, there are jobs out there that pay better than most public agencies,” Sherman said. “The private sector just offers better benefits and pay packages than most police agencies do, at least for the caliber person police departments are looking for, with higher education, moral character and no criminal history.”
After 2001, the 9/11 disasters shifted the federal government’s focus from local police department funding to pumping money into the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security and other federal resources, said Humble Police Department training coordinator Mark Bradshaw. The sudden lack of federal support put an increased financial strain on local police departments.
A low pay scale did little to attract new recruits, so despite financial struggles, virtually all area agencies sought approval in recent times to raise entry-level salaries in an effort to at least remain competitive with other departments, if not with positions in the private sector.
At the Humble Police Department, the Precinct 4 Constable’s and the Harris County Sheriff’s offices, a first-year officer can now expect to earn about $39,500.
At HPD, qualified candidates can draw a $12,000 hiring incentive that raises the first-year base salary to about $43,000.
“At $29,000, our pay was lower than most local police departments, so City Council allowed us to increase the starting salary, a large chunk of which is in the form of a hiring incentive,” Houston Police Department Assistant Chief George Buenik of the Professional Development Command, said. “This puts us competitive with other departments in Texas.”
For fiscal year 2008, Houston City Council also budgeted a total of seven police academy training classes to add more men to the department’s ranks.
“If we hire 400 officers from those seven classes, we’ll be left with about 200 after deducting those who retire in the same time period,” Buenik explained.
The Humble Police Department is currently looking to fill two police officer positions. The Precinct 4 Constable’s Office needs 10 more deputies to be fully staffed, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is short 76 patrol deputies.
In comparison to HPD’s deficit of more than 1,000 men, these shortages seem relatively minor. Yet, Humble PD was forced to cancel a testing session in early August for lack of qualified applicants.
Recruiting officials said it’s hard to find good people for a number of reasons.
Fierce competition ranks on the top of the list and stringent requirements prove to be another obstacle.
“The criteria are so high the applicants drop off one at a time and by the time all the testing is done, you look at only 30 percent of applicants left over,” said Precinct 4 Constable’s Sgt. Diana Raney.
State law and individual department policies require agencies to perform criminal history and background checks, credit and physical evaluations, and more often than not psychological probes and polygraph tests to weed out the unfit.
At HPD, only one applicant in 20 will survive the battery of tests, plus the subsequent six-month training at the academy. At Humble PD, where state certification with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education is a prerequisite, only one in five or so applicants are in the end eligible for hire.
In Montgomery County, however, the overwhelming staffing crunch that affects some Harris County agencies seems to be less critical, despite the fact that Montgomery County salaries, at $34,000 starting pay, are lower than those of its neighbor to the south.
“We’re not grossly understaffed, although we usually have openings of some type,” said MCSO spokesman Lt. Dan Norris. “Montgomery County is a very fast growing area in terms of population. We will not reduce in size and will look for qualified applicants for some time to come.”
Montgomery County Constable’s Capt. Cy Gamble said that his department is currently fully staffed and enjoys a pool of reserve deputies from which it can draw when additional manpower is needed to come on board full time.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Arnold Wolfe, Sherman and Bradshaw agree that police departments find themselves confronted by a new generation that carries a set of values and priorities quite different from the traditional police culture.
“Kids don’t want to be police these days; it’s not cool anymore,” Wolfe said. “In the new hip-hop world, they go the other way. Going to jail used to be frowned upon; now it makes you a hero.”
Bradshaw said that the younger generation also expects quick promotions and detests micro-management.
“Most of them want a 9-to-5 job and time off to raise their family,” he explained, adding that in the old days rookie officers would jump at the chance to stay after work and ride another shift for free. “But they’re also more diversified and can easily adapt to change. That’s a great plus.”
In an effort to draw more candidates out of the woodwork, police departments have switched to an active recruiting model that includes visits to job fairs, colleges as well as military bases, advertisements in industry journals and local newspapers, and Internet ads on employment sites.
In 2007, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office prepared an action-packed recruiting video depicting the excitement of a variety of employment opportunities.
Houston City Council is currently considering a proposal by HPD to hire an advertising firm to conduct print and Internet advertisement for the department, with a price tag of $750,000.
And to better accommodate the new generation of police hopefuls, some law enforcement agencies even relaxed their entry-requirements.
The Precinct 4 Constable’s Office, for example, temporarily lowered its educational requirements, dropping the previously mandatory 30 hours of college credit.
At the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, applicants who dabbled with cocaine, for example, more than five years ago, now get the green light, according to Wolfe. In the past, ingestion of the drug at any time would have meant automatic disqualification.
“It’s the new age employee,” Wolfe said. “Kids experiment more now than they did then. We have to adjust our hiring practices to the new generation.”
Do you have what it takes?
Area law enforcement agencies are hiring. To find out more about requirements and the application process, contact the recruiting offices below. Most agencies’ websites even provide online application options.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office: Call the recruiting office at 713-921-8891 or log on to www.hcsojobs.com.
Houston Police Department: Call 713-308-1300 or log on to www.houstontx.gov/police/careers.htm; the department is currently taking applications for an academy training class beginning in late November.
Humble Police Department: Call training coordinator Mark Bradshaw at 281-319-9765, via e-mail at mdbradshaw@humblepolice.com, or log on to www.humblepolice.com/empofficer.html; the next testing session is scheduled for Oct. 11. Call for an appointment.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office: Visit www.cd4.hctx.net and click on “Employment” or call recruiting at 281-401-6337 or 6355.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office: Log on to www.mocosheriff.com and click on “Recruiting” or call 936-538-7733. You may also send inquiries via e-mail to paul.cassidy@mctx.org.
OFFICERS BY THE NUMBERS
For many law enforcement agencies in the Greater Houston area, the 1990s were the golden days in terms of staffing.
Humble Police Department training coordinator Mark Bradshaw said that during that time police departments had tremendous growth opportunity. One of the main reasons, he said, was because there were plenty of federal grants available to provide funding for law enforcement.
But around the turn of the century, as the population of Houston and its suburbs continued to grow, new hires began to stagnate. To make matters worse, baby boomers began retiring in droves, and continue to do so at a rate of about 150 to 200 retirements per year at the Houston Police Department.
In early 2004, Houston had a population of 1.8 million, served by about 5,400 police officers, said HPD spokesman John Cannon. Then a wave of retirements decimated the ranks of HPD.
“From 1996 to 1999 we had optimal staffing, 3.0 police officers for every 1,000 residents,” remembered HPD Assistant Chief George Buenik of the Professional Development Command, adding that the national average is currently 2.8 officers per 1,000.
“In 2008, our staffing is only at 2.2 officers per 1,000 population. Houston now has about 2.2 million residents, so we need about another 1,000 officers to get us back on track,” he said.
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