Shortage of new officers, wave of retirements leave police departments vulnerable

Andre Novac joined the Paramus Police Department in May, after working for several years in Roseland. The 26-year-old said he can’t remember a time in his life he didn’t want to be a police officer.

His father is a retired Little Ferry officer, and his father’s cousin is a former police chief in that borough.

“Growing up, seeing what it was like. He would always come home with a smile, even after a rough day. That’s something I always looked up to,” he said of his father.

Justin Hugerich, 25, who was sworn in with Novac, also grew up in a family of first responders. His father was a fire captain in Jersey City and two of his uncles are retired police officers.

“I wanted a hands-on job where I could help people in the community,” he said. “I never saw myself working in an office.”

New recruits like Novac and Hugerich have much less competition these days to become officers. Law enforcement agencies have struggled in recent years to fill positions that earlier would have seen a flood of candidates.

Nationally there is a shortage of new police officers, a problem that many attribute to fallout from the pandemic and the worsening public perception of law enforcement after the 2020 murder of George Floyd and other widely publicized incidents of police brutality.

“After the summer of 2020, when we had the protests and calls to defund the police, large cities across the country started to see this difficulty in hiring,” said Brian Higgins, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan and a former chief of the Bergen County Police Department. “Now we’re seeing that same trend in northern New Jersey.”

A wave of veteran police officers retiring

This drop in candidates comes as many departments are also experiencing a wave of retirements of veteran officers.

“Years ago, guys would stay past their 25 years. You really don’t see that anymore,” said Paramus Police Chief Rob Guidetti. “The job now is so demanding — the long hours, the high stress, the exposure to danger, and the public perception — you’re seeing guys leave earlier.”

In the past, Paramus, a large department that is in the top third in the state in pay and offers a desirable schedule and opportunities, would receive hundreds of applicants for a handful of jobs. During the last round of hiring, Guidetti had about 65 candidates for five jobs, and many of them, like Novac and Hugerich, were transfers from other departments.

“You look at young kids — they don’t want to be police officers,” he said. “The private market can offer the same or better pay, better working conditions. You’re not worried about someone harming you.”

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The Paramus department recently bought spit hoods after an increase of incidents of people spitting on officers, he said.

Police departments adjust to attract candidates

In the private sector, understaffing might lead to incomplete projects or reduced profits. But in law enforcement, it directly affects departments’ ability to fight crime and results in overworked officers, fatigue and burnout, Guidetti said.

Paramus is again interviewing candidates and hopes to eventually expand the department to 105 officers as the borough grows. The department is working to streamline its hiring process to make it less lengthy and complicated. Officers go to college fairs and community functions to recruit prospective candidates.

“Everyone is facing the same issues I’m facing,” he said. Paramus has “never had a problem retaining officers, we are just faced with the same small pool of candidates like the rest of law enforcement departments.”

Englewood has waived application fees for city residents to attract more people to apply. In December, the city held a recruiting and information session for people to meet with Englewood officers and learn about a possible career in law enforcement before January’s entrance exam.

The city swore in seven new officers earlier this month. It’s important to bolster the ranks of the department, city officials said, as they expect more than a dozen veteran officers could retire over the next year and a half.

“We want to be able to anticipate retirements and have a continuous, qualified pool of prospective applicants,” said Bob Hoffmann, the city manager.

In this last wave of hiring, the department did “a lot of outreach,” which helped to attract candidates, he said. But many of the people who passed the written exam either failed the physical or did not show up to take it.

Teaneck used to get hundreds of applicants for open police officer positions. But when the township recently looked to hire four officers to bring the department to its authorized strength of 97, just nine Teaneck residents applied.

“There’s been a significant drop-off in interest in law enforcement,” said Dean Kazinci, the former township manager, who retired earlier this month. “It’s a great job, but I think the perception of law enforcement has changed so it’s no longer a desirable job. The public no longer looks at police officers as they once did. The overall perception in this country of law enforcement is not a positive one.”

In 2021, the state relaxed rules for municipalities like Teaneck that give priority to hiring residents, allowing them to hire alternate route candidates who live in other towns.

Kazinci, who began his career as a Teaneck police officer and worked in the department for 25 years, said the township prefers to hire residents, but it has become more difficult in recent years.

Residents “know the community well, they are vested in the community, they know the diversity of the community, they often volunteer as mentors or coaches and they may have children who go to the schools,” he said.

In November, Hackensack’s City Council voted to authorize an alternative hiring process for officers to take advantage of the relaxed civil service requirements and expand the pool of applicants.

“When I was a young cop, there were more folks looking to be police than there were jobs. Today it’s the reverse,” said Ray Guidetti, the city police director and the Paramus chief’s brother. “If you want to be a police officer now, It’s the best time to be one. You have a lot more opportunities.”

In recent years, after going through a lengthy hiring process involving background checks, physical exams and drug testing, candidates have declined the job because they found something that pays better or is closer to home.

“There’s just not the same appetite to want to do this type of work. It’s been drastic the drop in people who want to be involved in this profession,” Guidetti said. “For cities like Hackensack, you have to have a plan for recruitment, and marketing the value of serving your community. Then, you need to be ready to pull the trigger and hire folks.”

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Higgins said some North Jersey police chiefs he has spoken to are considering “softening” their requirements for college for entry-level officers. Departments have also relaxed rules about facial hair and changed their uniforms to make them more comfortable.

Qualities that made the profession attractive in the past, like a strong pension and the promise of a long, steady career, are no longer the selling points they once were. Pension reform has chipped away at the benefit and young people often want the flexibility to change jobs or careers, he said.

There are no bonuses in police work like in the private sector. Many office jobs now offer flexible hours and a remote or hybrid work schedule.

“You can’t do that in policing. You have to be at work on time. And then of course there’s all the negative things cops deal with — I hear from cops they feel they can't do anything right. Whatever you do, there’s a good chance you’ll end up on YouTube in a few hours. People second guess your actions,” Higgins said. “You’re always going to have an element of people who want to serve in law enforcement. I think that will stay, but I don’t know if that’s enough for the number of people we need right now.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Shortage of new officers, wave of retirements leave police departments vulnerable