Falling ranks confront rising crime in the capital.
By Jody Lawrence-Turner, Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon)
It took the Salem Police Department more than six months, 160 applicants, two recruitments and an extensive search to hire 11 sworn officers.
The effort to fill the open positions began in July. It was completed Tuesday.
The experience is nearly the opposite in other Northwest capital cities, where police officials say they can hire almost at will.
| Salem recruit Matt Marolla trains with firearms at the Oregon Public Safety Standards and Training Academy. |
But voters in Oregon have steadfastly refused to raise state and local taxes, making government jobs look less and less secure and creating fear that layoffs could come at any time.
That perception has hit home especially hard in Oregon’s capital city, where crime is rising and police officer staffing already is well below the city’s goals.
To the would-be cop on the beat, Salem is a tough sell.
“If people wanting to work in law enforcement aren’t determined to stay here and make a difference in the community, they are going to look elsewhere,” said Lt. John Hoffmeister a veteran with more than 20 years in policing.
Hoffmeister said that potential recruits researching the Salem Police Department might be discouraged. They will see a community with four state prisons, an inadequate juvenile facility and overcrowded county jail, a rising crime rate and an understaffed police department.
The word apparently has gotten around.
Sgt. Dave Carlson, who helps coordinate training and recruitment, said that in previous years, 280 or more applicants have been a part of each semiannual recruitment.
In July 2003, it was half that, he said, and only half of those who applied showed up for required testing.
The capital city police departments in Washington and Idaho say they are having the opposite experience recruiting police officers.
“The Olympia Police Department had a larger-than-usual amount of people apply for positions as police officers in 2002,” said Cassius Johnson, employment outreach coordinator. “When positions became open, they pulled from a list of people they had already tested.”
Carol Freeland, personnel analyst at the Boise Police Department, said it has seen an increase in applications in general as well as a trend of more people applying from Oregon .
One might assume that with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, recruiting for police officers might be easier in Oregon.
But that hasn’t been the case, most likely because voters twice have defeated statewide tax increases that would have provided money for public-safety programs and other services.
Oregon State Police had to cut 129 troopers after Measure 28 failed in 2003, and staff was reduced by about 30 in the state’s forensic program. Crime fighting could take another hit this year because of Measure 30’s failure.
That leads to an impression that government jobs aren’t stable in Oregon, officials say. As a result, many people are looking for work, including in law enforcement, in other states or in private industry.
“For a young man who gets out of college, he’s going to make more money in private industry,” said Lt. Dan Cary, a 27-year department veteran. “It’s going to be safer, and he can be assured he’s probably going to spend holidays with his family and not get called in at weird times.”
Despite hiring 11 officers, the Salem Police Department still is understaffed when compared with other Western cities, the national average and the Salem City Council’s goal.
It would take 39 more officers to meet the Salem City Council’s goal of 1.5 officers per 1,000 people in Salem, Cary said. It would take 153 more to equal the national average of 2.3 officers per 1,000 people.
In comparison, the Olympia Police Department has 1.64 officers per 1,000 population. Boise has 1.45 officers. Salem’s average is 1.23
“We have a third less officers of most other police departments and almost 2 ½ times the index crimes,” said Walt Myers, Salem’s police chief. “It makes it difficult to combat crime.”
Difficulty filling vacant officer positions and the overall manpower shortage has triggered a number of changes - leading to frustrations inside and outside the department.
Last March, the department proposed that officers stop responding to automatic burglar alarms unless a possible crime has been verified at the address.
Police say 99 percent of automatic alarms in Salem turn out to be false. The policy change would have the equivalent impact of putting about 12 more officers on patrol to respond to real crimes.
But the proposal has angered some residents, as well as security companies that sell the alarm services. Almost a year after it was proposed, the issue continues to be debated at City Hall.
Inside the department, officers specially trained to focus on community response, gangs, traffic and bombs are having to divide their attention.
“We should have four full-time guys on the gang response team,” Cary said. “We don’t have any because they are all back on patrol.”
Instead, officers assigned to most of the special teams are pulled off patrol as a need for their skill arises.
At the root of the city’s small police force is a budget issue. But having the small force leads to overtime, burnout and stress, which makes Salem look less appealing to those pondering a career in policing.
Veteran officers say they relish their work, but the staff shortage and rising crime has made it frustrating.
“When you look at the schedule, it’s depressing,” Hoffmeister said.
About $84,000 was paid in overtime in 2003 to compensate for staff shortages, officials said.
When someone called in sick recently, Hoffmeister said, 25 people were called to fill in. All of them said no.
“They’ve worked so much, they’re burned out,” he said. “You have to work hard and enjoy what you are doing in order to have a good day at work.”
Cary and Hoffmeister have about 50 years’ combined experience in law enforcement.
Each acknowledges that policing in Salem has changed during the years and that the way the system is structured, people aren’t being held accountable for their crimes.
For the would-be cop, knowing that the first criminal they catch likely will be released a few moments after they take them to jail, a job as a police officer in Salem may seem less gratifying than working in other fields.
“It’s tougher to be a cop these days,” Cary said. “The job is more complex than 25 years ago.”