In the wake of “defund the police” campaigns and other attacks on law enforcement the Glenview Police Department is competing with other departments for new hires and to entice them to come to Glenview it is offering a $15,000 signing bonus.
“We are offering a signing bonus specifically for lateral hire officers to attract more experienced officers and increase our applicant pool,” said Glenview Sgt. Carly Gaba. “We are hoping that qualified candidates that can be moved into their positions quickly, giving us the advantage of hiring on a rolling basis, instead of being restricted by the academy start dates. With entry-level applicants, we have to hire at specific times during the year and have an academy opening.”
And the problem with low staffing numbers is not restricted to the Glenview Police Department. Indeed, departments in Illinois and across the country and desperately trying to fill their depleted ranks, said Chris Southwood, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police which represents about 35,500 members across the state.
“Departments are doing everything they can to get their staffing up because they have to,” he said. “It’s not unusual for a department to put out five job openings for a patrol officer and only have one or two people respond.”
He said things like “defund the police” campaigns and attacks on law enforcement in the news are contributing to the recruiting problems.
“That’s an issue that has to be addressed,” he explained. “Departments are faced with ‘Hey do we have anybody out there on patrol?’’’
“We used to have a hundred people apply for 10 positions,” he added. “You could take the top ten. When you have 10 people applying for 20 positions you’re stuck with what you got or else you don’t put anybody out there.”
Gaba said that with the three school resource officers the department added last year, its fully-staffed total is 74 sworn officers and that the department’s current staffing level is at 70 sworn officers.
The Village is offering a $15,000 signing bonus for “pre-certified officers,” with $5,000 given upon hire, $5,000 upon successful completion of probation and $5,000 upon the completion of two years on the job.
“We have seen an increase in applicants through the bonus marketing,” said Gaba. “We are hoping that qualified candidates that can be moved into their positions quickly, giving us the advantage of hiring on a rolling basis, instead of being restricted by the academy start dates. With entry-level applicants, we have to hire at specific times during the year and have an academy opening.”
Southwood said officers tend to move from department to department depending on which one offers the best salary and benefits.
“The bottom line is police agencies are having a very difficult time filling up squad cars,” he said.
“It is not just a state-wide issue for police hiring, it is a national issue, which we have been effected by as well,” said Gaba. “We have changed our approach to hiring and are more active and involved in the recruitment process. We are going to ‘power test’ to talk to applicants, which allows us to to answer any questions they have and promote what sets our department apart.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.