This story was updated at 2 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2022, to add comments from FOP President Lee Holland
Montgomery County officials are calling for a new approach to hiring and recruiting as attrition in the police department has worsened during the past year.
According to an analysis prepared for the County Council Public Safety Committee, the department lost 90 officers in calendar year 2021. Of those, according to the report:
- 55 were due to retirement
- 33 were due to resignation
- One officer was terminated
- One officer died
Legislative analyst Susan Farag said that at the current rate of attrition, the long-term trend is troubling.
“This is concerning, because historically, Montgomery County police have had a very low attrition rate of 1 to 1.5 officers per month, plus retirements,” she said. “But over the past two years, this has increased to four officers per month, and if those rates hold true for the rest of this fiscal year, the department could lose another 35 officers.”
Police staffing increased gradually from 1,159 authorized sworn officer positions in Fiscal Year 2012, to a high of 1,306 in Fiscal Year 2021, according to the report. The department has an authorized sworn complement of 1,281 officers for FY22.
There were 1,235 sworn officers in the department in calendar year 2021. If the same rates of attrition hold through 2025, the department could be short 223 positions, about 18% of the total number of officers last year, by the end of that year, according to Farag.
Farag said having fewer officers can mean more difficult work, including adhering to new use-of-force standards the county recently adopted and other new standards at the state level that take effect July 1.
“Adequate police staffing is necessary to ensure county and state police reform goals, and that they’re going to be met,” she said.
The council’s report cites a number of factors for the staffing shortage, such as increased calls for changes in policing following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and increased stress stemming from a higher crime rate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It cites a June 2021 survey from the Police Executive Research Forum that found police departments across the country have experienced an 18% increase in resignations and 45% increase in retirements.
During Monday’s meeting, Police Chief Marcus Jones, Council President Gabe Albornoz and others discussed the staffing shortage, as well as concerns about the starting salary for officers in the department.
The council’s report found that Montgomery County had the second lowest starting salary for a police officer ($54,620) in the greater Washington region, with Prince George’s County the lowest at $54,040. The starting salaries of other departments were:
- $60,768 in Baltimore County
- $60,593 in Howard County
- $60,320 in Baltimore City
- $60,100 in D.C.
- $55,825 in Anne Arundel County
Two police departments, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, give signing bonuses of $10,000 and $5,000 respectively, according to the report.
Jones said on Monday that he agrees that the department’s starting salaries need to be higher.
“You have quality of life that’s a major issue for any employee. They want to know where I’m going to work. Where I’m going to be assigned. How’s that going to impact me personally,” he said.
Some police officials said during Monday’s meeting that police candidates often apply to multiple departments at one time.
Jones said the department gives some fringe benefits, such as take-home cars for officers. But the department should not “rest on our laurels” on compensation, he said.
Albornoz said the attrition numbers are “sobering” and discussions are underway between county officials and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35, the county’s police union, to possibly increase salaries.
“As the executive branch begins that process of conversations with our colleagues in labor, there’s agreement there between the legislative and executive branches. And so, I hope that’s reflected in the negotiations and discussions that occur,” he said.
FOP President Lee Holland told Bethesda Beat on Tuesday that the union is speaking with the county about compensation — some of the terms of the contract have been reopened for discussion.
“The max we could have by law is a three-year agreement, but either party may not want to set in wages or retirement or health care for the whole contract. They might want to revisit it during the term of the whole agreement,” he said.
Holland said he could not discuss the details of the negotiations, but the union hasn’t reached an agreement yet with the county executive and plans to go to mediation.
Overall, Holland said the issue is bigger than just starting salaries.
“They want to focus on starting pay when starting pay is not our only issue. We’re lagging behind on our entire pay scale, and it’s showing,” he said.
Holland said a combination of factors led to the mass exodus from the police department, including the fact that many officers can make the same money with other law enforcement agencies or non-law enforcement.
He said Montgomery County has one of the only police forces in the region that requires officers to be college-educated. The department also accepts candidates who have three years of military experience or prior law enforcement experience.
“We have an educated workforce that can go and find other jobs. I’m seeing a lot of people go out of police work altogether,” he said.
Holland added that fear of political persecution over mistakes once considered minor is also driving officers out.
“There are no minor mistakes in policing anymore. So, people are fearful of that,” he said.
Holland previously told Bethesda Beat in September that a staffing crisis was imminent due to declining officer morale, rising crime and officers leaving the department at a “historic pace.”
“With poor pay, mediocre benefits and a legislative body attacking law enforcement officers, it’s going to be extremely difficult to find the next generation of officers to fill the open vacancies,” he said at the time.
Albornoz suggested on Monday that police officers hold more outreach events throughout the year such as National Night Out, which is typically held in August. Officers get together with residents in social gatherings to strengthen community trust.
But many people are out of town during the summer, Albornoz said.
Assistant Chief Darren Francke said on Monday that the department should consider promoting recruitment on Twitter more to reach younger audiences.
“There’s a lot of connectivity that you have to have. Right from the outset, you’ve got to convince them why they want to be a part of your program, and you have to keep showing them why they should come here,” he said of the process.
Council Member Sidney Katz, the chair of the committee, said he agreed with a suggestion that the department hire a professional firm to help recruit.
“Not only should we get them to do the advertising, we need to ask them, what have they found the best way for someone to even read the advertising? So, I think we need to do that,” he said.
Katz added that the speed at which someone is hired makes a difference.
“We need to make certain that the person we’re hiring is qualified and all of those things, but if we could do that so much faster, we should,” he said.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media
