The headline in another newspaper on July 29 read; “Businesses struggle to fill jobs.” The article listed a number of reasons why we are seeing “Help Wanted” signs popping up at almost every business in all of our communities, all plausible, all valid. But “Help Wanted” has been on the door of Law Enforcement for the last eight to 10 years. I have spent the last 15 years hiring police officers and, more recently, deputies. I used to lose officers to larger agencies with more pay and better benefits. Some officers went to larger agencies for more opportunities or to live in a more urban area, but times are changing.
When SB20-217 passed in Colorado last year, eliminating qualified immunity for law enforcement, I lost several deputies. My office was not the only casualty to this bill; other sheriffs and chiefs of police also had employees quit. Some left law enforcement all together and some simply moved out of state, but stayed in law enforcement. The arguments offered by the proponents of that bill showed me that they really did not understand what qualified immunity was about. We have always had the ability to criminally charge and fire rogue cops, but that is a topic for another day. I, and every other chief and sheriff I know, are struggling to find qualified candidates to hire. Now it is not about the money, it is about the job itself.
Nationally I see a trend to vilify and demonize our law enforcement. The police “reform” movement is driving law enforcement professionals out of their jobs. Early retirement and outright resignations are gutting our departments and offices.Washington State is becoming a safe haven for criminals and their crime rate, especially homicides, is soaring. Two bills signed by Washington Gov. Inslee raise the threshold for police action to “Probable Cause,” effectively doing away with reasonable suspicion stops and putting both civilians and law enforcement at risk.
All of this while Seattle Mayor Durkan laments the exodus of officers from her city. Washington state is not alone. All you need to do is watch the national news or check the preferred news feed on your phone. In Austin, Texas, the City Council voted unanimously to cut $150 million dollars from their police budget and an “unintended consequence” is a spike in violent crime. According to the Council on Criminal Justice, violent crime in the United States is up 16 percent in 2020 and up 42 percent from 2019.
During the last legislative session, I, along with 21 other Colorado sheriffs, worked together and with our elected representatives, senators and lobbyists to try to put common sense and logic into those bills dealing with law enforcement and jail issues. Even after partnering with the Colorado Chiefs Association and the state Fraternal Order of Police, it was an uphill battle, the best we could hope for was to negotiate a really bad bill into a less terrible one. During my nearly 40 years of enforcing the law, I have seen the pendulum swing left and right twice. Now that pendulum is swinging farther left than I have ever seen.
Eventually the citizens will have enough and, hopefully, their voice will be heard and that pendulum will move towards the center. In the meantime, how do we keep the men and women of law enforcement from abandoning their careers and more importantly, how do we encourage people to enter the profession? Feeling abandoned by their community and unsupported by their leadership are the top two reasons I am hearing that people leave law enforcement. Only the citizens that they serve can take away that feeling of abandonment. Your voice needs to be heard at our capitol and in Washington DC. As for supporting the men and women we lead, Chiefs and Sheriffs need to buck the trend of “sheltering in place” and take a stand. If we are to lead men and women who will put their lives on the line for us, we as law enforcement leaders need to support them at every opportunity, even if it means putting our jobs at risk.
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