Police departments across the country have been struggling to maintain staffing for a variety of reasons. Departments in Northeast Ohio are not immune to what some are calling a staffing crisis.
Retirements and resignations
Staffing in the region is kind of a mixed bag. They range from just barely being fully staffed to needing up to 40 more officers in their department. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is one of the departments with the most need.
“We did a massive hiring back in the 90s when we opened the new jail and then opened an additional wing for the jail. All those employees came in," Sheriff Kandy Fatheree said. "They all became eligible for retirement in the last two years and this year as well.”
Because of all these retirements, the Sheriff’s Office is looking to hire more than 40 officers. It’s important to note this isn’t just a Northeast Ohio problem. A recent report from the Police Executive Research Forum found that retirements and resignations are putting a lot of pressure on staffing levels all over the country. From 2020 to 2021, officer staffing levels decreased by 3.48%, and resignations increased by 42.7% from 2019.
Retention
There are a lot of other factors that departments are struggling with in trying to recruit and retain officers. Pay is one of them, and most departments have experienced officers leaving for higher paying positions.
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