LAKE COUNTY— As part of their annual review, the Civil Grand Jury suggests the formation of a “Grow Your Own” program to aid in the recruiting and retention crisis experienced by law enforcement agencies both locally and nationally.
The 2022-23 Civil Grand Jury Report notes a 2021 Work for Survey that states “there was an 18 percent increase in resignations and a 45 percent increase in retirements over the past year.” The CGJ references the Covid 19 pandemic as well as “the reaction to the George Floyd incident, and the current climate of defunding” as causes for the current situation.
According to Police Executive Research Forum President Chuck Wexler “You’ve got a workforce that’s being compressed on the front end, you’ve got a drop in people who want to be cops. And on the other end, you have significant increase in people who are resigning and retiring.” Furthermore, the CGJ also considered a 2019 report published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police which noted that “Sixty five percent of agencies reported having too few candidates applying for positions”, “fifty percent of agencies reported having to change their policies to increase the number of qualified candidates” and also “twenty five percent of agencies reported having to reduce or eliminate services, units, or positions due to staffing difficulties.”
In response to this crisis, law enforcement departments across the country have been experimenting with solutions, one short term solution being the implementation of hiring bonus programs. Local comparisons were made to Santa Rosa, who provides a $25,000 bonus for lateral position transfers, and also Alameda who offers $75,000 for every entry level officer. Currently Lake County does not have a hiring incentive for deputy trainees but does have a $20,000 hiring bonus limited to female correctional officers for a pre-determined number of officers.
Lake County currently operates two youth programs, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Explorers and the CalFire Cinder Girls. Both of these programs experienced a shut down during the Covid 10 pandemic and struggled with participation upon starting back up in June 2022. The Explorers program overcame their low enrollment and were granted an exception by the Boy Scouts of America, projecting they will exceed enrollment requirements in 2023.
The solution suggested by the CGJ is the creation of a “Grow Your Own” recruitment program similar to that of other law enforcement departments in which younger candidates for police recruitment are given extra training and opportunities for employment in the hopes of getting them through to police academy training. Examples of successful programs were given and included a full time, benefitted cadet program in Massachusetts where those aged 19 to 25 could apply. The program pays $40,000 annually. The Los Angeles Police Department also created a Student Worker program which became the Associate Community Officer Program in 2017. This program employs young adults aged 17 to 23 years old who have expressed desire to commit to joining the LAPD.
The CGJ noted “A successful program in Lake County could provide an economic bridge between the ages of 18 to 21, allowing residents to receive valuable exposure to its multiple departments and processes.” This program would allow for 10 candidates ages 18 to 21 to be employed on a part time basis and would require $208,000 to fund.
Pursuant to Penal Code 933.05 (a)(b)(c), the Sheriff’s Department will have 60 days to respond and the Lake County Board of Supervisors will have 90 days to respond, but response is required. More information of the Civil Grand Jury and other reviews please visit the county website lakecountyca.gov.
