Big cities are struggling badly to hire police. And, in the day and age of “all cops are bastards” and “defund the police”, it’s easy to see why: policing has become more of a thankless job than ever. 

But a new Wall Street Journal report detailed some of the strategies police departments are using to “hustle” for new recruits. 

In Plano, Texas, they are offering $108,150 a year and putting the salary figure on billboards to attract attention. 

Officer Andrae Smith, the recruiter at the Plano Police Department told the Journal: “The No. 1 attraction is the pay.”

“Our goal was to pull at the shirttail of every individual who had interest in being in law enforcement,” he added.

Officer Karina Hinojosa transferred to Plano from New York City for the lower cost of living and better pay. She commented: “For me, it was quality of life.” 

To attract candidates, cities have increased perks. For instance, Bellevue Police Department in Washington state now offers take-home cars and allows officers up to three on-duty hours per week for workouts.

Wendell Shirley, the police chief, told WSJ they had 750 applications last year and hired 33 officers: “For me, it’s really important for you to find the right organization that has the right culture.”

To attract recruits, some states are easing restrictions. Dallas recently relaxed its tattoo policy, Pennsylvania dropped its college credit requirement for state troopers, and Seattle now accepts applications from DACA recipients, the report says. 

In 2023, the average annual wage for police officers was $76,550, a 13% increase from 2019, while the average wage for all occupations was $65,470, a 22% increase.

As the job market cools and violent crime rates fall, more officers were hired in 2023 than in the previous four years, although resignations remain higher than pre-pandemic levels but have decreased since 2022.

The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office in Wyoming promotes a culture-war incentive, highlighting that “breaking the law is still illegal” in their state.

The Journal writes that since the pandemic, policing has faced difficulties in recruitment and retention, similar to teaching and nursing. Many burned-out employees have resigned or retired, resulting in nearly 19,000 fewer officers in 2023 compared to 2019, a 3% drop according to Labor Department data. 

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, notes that officers used to move from smaller cities to larger ones, but now the trend has reversed, especially after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

A survey of over 200 police departments shows that small and medium agencies have more officers than before the pandemic, while large agencies have fewer.