To keep cops: more pay, a little TLC

Better pay and care are vital if Triangle forces are to retain good officers, expert says

DURHAM -- Last year, Durham saw 56 officers turn in their badges. Some left because of pay, they said. Others to start new lives in new places.

Raleigh, in the first 10 months of 2008, saw 10 percent of its police force leave. Again, some said it was because of low pay. Others said they didn't see a future with the force.

Across the Triangle, one of the top concerns of police chiefs is how to recruit and retain the best officers. As police chiefs in the state huddled for their annual conference Tuesday, they were told they need modern thinking when it comes to hiring.

W. Dwayne Orrick, director of public safety in Cordele, Ga., and an expert on recruitment and retention, said the new way is one that encompasses career development, sympathy toward events in an officer's personal life, recognizing and rewarding good work and offering strong salaries, Orrick said.

"You have to respect officers, realize that they are an investment," Orrick said. "We have to move beyond where we were 10 years ago and the caliber of people we're looking to hire. We have higher standards for them, yet our management and leadership techniques have not kept up with those people."

Fair pay is one of the main factors in keeping officers, but retention starts with how candidates are sought, Orrick said.

Officer pay has been a concern for Durham police. More than 200 officers and their families silently protested for higher pay during a City Council meeting in October, four months after starting police salaries were raised from $33,069 to $37,000. Pay for experienced officers was increased by more than $4,000. But estimates show it would take $9.5 million over the next few years to bring those salaries in line with the average.

Last year, Raleigh leaders responded to high turnover with measures that included a lateral-entry program to hire officers from other police departments, with pay and rank based on their experience. Seven of the 27 officers who graduated from the December police academy came through that program, said Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police spokesman.

The current economy is good for law enforcement departments because officers are less likely to leave. But the economy will improve, Orrick said.

"When the economy picks up," Orrick said, "the agencies that do not maintain a high retention environment will have an increased level of attrition."

Turnovers costly

Orrick said police recruiting is multifaceted, involving active recruiting, finding candidates who are qualified and make a good fit for the department, and maintaining a positive reputation in the community.

Not doing so can be costly, he added. The cost of a departing officer can be up to five times his salary, which includes the cost of recruiting and training, and work experience.

Cutting this cost requires finding the right candidate, Orrick said.

Departments should be cautious of those who are too focused on money and have had multiple jobs. Recruiters should maintain contact with new hires for six months after they're hired. During the hiring process, the department's goals and values, along with a clear understanding of the job, must be made clear to the recruits.

"If you don't do this, you're going to make the same hiring mistakes over and over again," he said. "The problem in law enforcement is that we're doing legacy thinking and hiring the same people according to the same standards we had 20 years ago."

Start with top picks

Keeping good officers involves giving them what they want, identifying traits in candidates who are more likely to fit and stay, and maximizing factors that pull employees in, he said.

But even in a slow economy, finding qualified candidates can be a challenge.

Part of the reason, said police spokesman Lt. Kevin Gunter, is that police work can be a thankless job with long hours and duty on weekends and holidays. And then "there's the danger aspect," he said.

"Unlike the larger departments, say in Raleigh or Durham, we might have to fill five or six positions instead of 40 or 50. Obviously, that's more difficult," he said. "Fifteen years ago we would get 1,000 applicants for five or 10 positions. Now we're struggling to get 50."