Though crime numbers are down from previous years, Memphis police
director Larry Godwin says the department is still understaffed by
about 500 officers.
“We have almost 5,000 fewer victims today than we had in 2006, but I
think we can do better. We just need more police officers on the
street,” Godwin says.
Thanks to stimulus funds, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) will
have a few more dollars to pay new recruits’ salaries. Last week,
Congressman Steve Cohen’s office announced $6.3 million in Recovery Act
money to pay for 37 new Memphis police officers.
In late July, the Department of Justice awarded $1 billion in
stimulus funds to the COPS Hiring Recovery Program in an effort to
create or preserve 5,000 law enforcement positions across the country.
Tennessee will receive $21 million of those funds.
“This is incredibly good news that will not only create good-paying
jobs but allow the city to put more cops on the beat to keep our
neighborhoods safe,” Cohen said in a statement last week.
The funds will cover salaries, training, and some basic equipment
costs for 37 officers over a three-year period. After the third year,
the MPD will be expected to fund those positions on its own.
The department has attempted to reach recruiting goals for years.
But they’ve had problems finding enough qualified officers to meet full
complement. Memphis Police Association president J.D. Sewell says the
MPD has a goal of employing 2,600 officers by 2011. The department
currently has around 2,150 officers.
“We’re still far short, and the maximum you can hire and train each
year is 300 according to state standard certification. There’s also a
problem with high turnover,” Sewell says.
In February, the city’s human resources department took over hiring
duties for the MPD. Director Lorene Essex says they’re sorting through
about 4,000 applications that have been on file since January 2008. The
37 new officers will be hired along with another yet-to-specified
number for the next police training class that begins in October.
Currently, recruits may live up to 20 miles from the county line,
but that residency status will expire in December.
The basic class for recruits lasts 21 weeks, and training supervisor
Lt. Marty Kula says about 90 recruits attend each training session.
“Between 25 and 50 percent of those recruits may leave the academy
before graduation. That happens for many reasons, including
resignations, terminations, and separations for those not meeting the
standard. If you fail two tests, you’re out of the academy,” Kula
says.
Whether or not the stimulus funds will help the MPD meet recruitment
goals remains to be seen, but Sewell says the department could
certainly use extra manpower: “Right now, officers have a hard time
doing any policing between calls, because most of their day is spent
answering one call after another.”
