Finding quality recruits is hitting small and medium municipalities as well. We currently have 43 officers and of those most have more than 8 years experience. We have hired folks straight out of the academy but they have mostly washed out. One of the current ones is struggling and has already been extended on FTO. Rookies now just cant function at the level we require them to. We pay really well for our area and we have asked that from now on we just hire folks with solid experience vs startong with a fresh boot. Our pay draws a lot of good folks from agencies that dont pay that well. Our retirement is from the State so if theyre local LE elsewhere it all transfers over.
Other larger agencies have a huge void that they will not be able to fill. They are severely short handed. Theyre literally losing more people to retirement etc than they can hire and train. Some leave to come to agencies like mine for better pay. Budget constraints, tied up in BS politics, hurt them as well.
And who the hell really wants to put up with all the bull shit anyway? With all the negative crap society has been force fed by the media I wouldnt do it again. If I were 22 and getting out of the Army again I'd go be a fireman. They (mostly) sleep at night, work about 7 or 8 days a month (granted its 24 hours at a time....but they get to sleep...), and their pay is good. Not to mention they have enough off time to have a second income doing something like cutting grass.