QUALITATIVE COMMENTS
Here are a few of the comments from individual agencies about changes in applicants since 2015, the year after Ferguson:
“Fewer than 20% passed the background phase.”
“The quality is much poorer.”
“Our washout rate has flipped. We have gone from 20%-25% background failure to 70%-75% failure (criminal histories; significant application dishonesty)”
“Significantly decreasing. It is a crisis!”
“We are currently attempting to renew our two-year hire list. After nine weeks, we have received one application.”
“The more college graduates that apply, the less likely they are to want to work nights and weekends. They seem to think they are doing us a favor by wanting to work here.”
“I am starting a lateral eligibility list because our academies in Illinois have so much demand that it is impossible to get all of my recruits into the academies in a timely manner."
“We can only steal from each other for so long.”