CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Police Departments across South Florida are struggling to recruit and retain police officers.
The shortage is part of a nationwide problem that has even caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, offering tips.
Related link: Justice Department Releases Report
“There are a lot of things that police officers have to face that they didn’t have to face years ago,” said Miramar Police Chief, Delrish Moss.
Moss has launched a major campaign to recruit more officers as his city grows.
“It’s been very difficult,” he said. “You have more police departments that have come online so there are more jobs. You have other professions that have come online. You also have the national narrative about police that also kind of draws people away from the profession.”
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department even worked to recruit spring breakers on the beach this year.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office regularly posts aggressive recruitment videos online.
At the end of the day, competition is fierce according to many officers, and departments must evolve.
“Moral is at an all-time low,” said Coral Gables Fraternal Order of Police President Chris Challenger.
The Coral Gables FOP is negotiating and claims it’s losing too many officers.
Agencies like Miami Springs, BSO, and Miami-Dade have pulled officers away from the city with more competitive and enticing incentives, according to Challenger.
He posted a video to social media showing many patrol cars crowding the department’s motor pool, as officers continue to leave the job or retire altogether.
“The city is supposed to be growing. The buildings and the population is growing but the police department is shrinking,” said Challenger. “We’re currently 37 short. We lost 14 officers since January 1st of this year. It’s a strain.”
Coral Gables city officials released the following statement in response to the FOP’s position:
“Safety is the top priority for this administration. The City of Coral Gables is currently in contract negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The city has offered a very competitive contract . Because of these negotiations, I believe it would be inappropriate to comment on these baseless claims. However, I can assure our residents, businesses, and visitors that patrol staffing remains at the same level at all times. While we are experiencing vacancies like other police agencies in the area, we have an aggressive recruitment strategy in place and are proud to have new officers in the hiring process and in training that will join the department in the near future. We look forward to soon reaching an agreement with the FOP. "
The City of Miami Police Department is also facing shortages of its own, working to fill many positions.
The city’s assistant chief of police released the following information:
We currently have 94 sworn vacancies. Finding qualified candidates has always been challenging, but it does seem to me that other law enforcement agencies throughout the country have had a more difficult time than we have.
For context, our current police officer recruitment list consisted of 809 applicants. To reach 809 applicants, our online application period remained open for 2 weeks. Seven or eight years ago, we would have received those 809 applications in a single day.
So has some interest in the law enforcement profession faded? Yes, but not to the point where we just cannot find qualified candidates.
We are competing with employers who offer more flexible work arrangements (such as hybrid and remote work) and with other law enforcement agencies who are competing for the same candidates.
Our applicant list of 809 has since been reduced to 150 applicants who are still being processed.
It’s difficult to say how many of those 150 will ultimately be hired because we recently changed several steps in our hiring process, so parts of this recruitment drive are experimental.
I am confident, though, that those 150 will at least yield one police academy class of 25.
Richard Perez - Assistant Chief of Police - City of Miami Police Department
For available jobs see respective police department websites including Miramar, Fort Lauderdale, BSO, Coral Gables, and Miami-Dade.