Attrition and Recruiting

Attrition and Recruiting: How they affect the numbers of officers available to help you. 

Part 1

In the article discussing the staffing levels of the police department, we mentioned that the Lexington Division of Police had a budgeted strength of 537 officers and that this was different from the number of positions that were actually staffed. At the end of December, this staffing number is expected to be 516 officers.

The Lexington Police department publishes an annual report every year. According to a chart on page 17 of that report, in 2005, the authorized strength of the police department was 540 officers, of which, 510 of those positions were filled. Despite the fact that Lexington’s population in 2005 was estimated to be approximately 278,000 and the current population, based upon the 2010 Census, is 295,803, which represents a population growth of almost 6.5%. In just five years, the number of actual working police officers is nearly the same and the police officer per 1,000 citizens ratio, is actually worse. In 2005 the ratio was 1.83 officers per 1,000 citizens. On December 31^st, 2011 the ratio will be 1.74 officers/ 1,000 citizens. 

What has caused this turn of events? In short, the number of police officers who have retired, resigned, died, or been terminated, has far outstripped the number of new officers that were hired to replace them. Lexington’s elected officials have failed to keep up with attrition, and haven’t come close to making a dent in the police officer per 1,000 citizen ratio, discussed before.

Under Mayor Teresa Isaac, staffing at the police department did increase significantly, resulting in a peak of 593 sworn officers in 2007. However, from 2007- 2011 Mayors Jim Newberry and Jim Gray, and the Urban County Councils that served with them, failed to even hold the line at that level. Under Mayor Jim Newberry, there were only three police recruit classes.

In his first year in office, Mayor Jim Gray failed to provide funds for a police recruit class in his first proposed budget for FY 2012. The Urban County Council provided funds for a class of 25 to start in January of 2012. A Federal grant was won in the fall of 2011 that would pay for 25 officers.

At this time, there is one police recruit class scheduled for January of 2012. 28 recruits are expected to start the police academy, which lasts approximately 32 weeks. Recruits then complete a 12 week Field Training Officer program before they are allowed to work on their own. Essentially, it will be the end of November of 2012 before the recruits are actually able to answer and complete calls for service on their own.

A certain amount of attrition can be expected during this training period. It is not likely that all 28 of the recruit officers will complete the training process. It is also not likely that there will be no additional retirements or resignations among senior officers before the end of the year. However, if we imagine that all of the police recruits make it through training and that no one else in the department will retire or resign before the end of 2012, then at the end of November in 2012, based upon the only current scheduled recruiting class, the Lexington Division of Police will have 543 sworn officers, which will give the Lexington an officer/ 1,000 citizens ratio of... 1.83/ 1,000, which is the exact same ratio that it was in 2005.

Half- measures and recruiting drives, that do not even stay ahead of attrition will not do. It will take a dedicated effort by Lexington’s elected officials to keep up with Lexington’s dynamic population growth and Keep Lexington Safe.

Source Documents:

 

http://ksdc.louisville.edu/census/profiles2010/2010QTprofiles_34.pdf

http://www.lexingtonky.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=18001

http://ksdc.louisville.edu/kpr/popest/city%20estimates_2009_by%20county.xls