CLEVELAND — It's not a new problem in Cleveland, but the longer the Division of Police's officer shortage drags on, the more dire the situation could become.
"This has been brewing for years," Ward 8 City Councilman Mike Polensek says. "I'm sick of seeing the violence. I'm sick of seeing Cleveland at the top of negative indicators in this country."
Polensek tells 3News around 300 officers are currently eligible for retirement, with only 22 in the pipeline to replace them. That's on top of the department already being roughly 230 officers short of the more than 1,400 City Hall has budgeted for it.
The city has recently attempted to attract new recruits with an increase in entry level pay: around $29.38 per hour after graduation from the police academy along with a $6,000 tuition reimbursement. Hires will also receive health and retirement benefits, with eventual salaries topping out at $36.22 an hour after five years on the force.
But Polensek says even those figures "ain't going to cut it." It's partly why he says this aging problem needs a new solution, like a $10,000 sign-on bonus.
"It's not an issue about money; it's about recruitment," he asserted. "The money's there."
Polensek said the money for bonuses would come from the amount City Council recently approved to hire 180 additional officers, a number Police Chief Wayne Drummond has acknowledged they won't reach anytime soon.
Yet as departments across Northeast Ohio and the country grapple with recruitment, Akron is finding success, with perks including entry level pay of $30.61 an hour (more than $60,000 a year) and a $2,000 signing bonus. Sergeant Mike Murphy adds all 32 candidates currently in their academy also receive full pay.
"We're just really trying to increase our staffing levels to get back up to our budgeted strength ... which, in turn, will boost our morale," Murphy said, telling WKYC the department is currently at 429 officers and is closing in on its goal of 470 total. "We look at it from the same standpoint as a college recruiting aspect."
Cleveland currently offers $16 an hour at its academy before salaries go up. Like the proposed bonuses, officers would have to pay that money back if they leave the division within five years.
"If we don't offer more money, we can't compete," Polensek says. "We just can't compete."
3News reached out to the Cleveland Division of Police for comment, but they pointed us to Mayor Justin Bibb's office. No one from the administration wanted to talk on camera, but they did say the city is actively exploring options to recruit new officers.
"Our goal is to obtain immediate relief and create a long term solution to staffing challenges," the mayor's office said in a statement.
Besides Cleveland and Akron, other major cities in Northeast Ohio are hiring officers, as well. Some common minimum requirements for about every department throughout the area are that applicants:
- Usually must be somewhere between 21 and 39 years old
- Must have proof of a high school diploma or GED
- Must have a valid Ohio driver's license and be a U.S. citizen (or legal permanent resident)
- Must have vision correctible to 20/20 with normal color vision
- Must have no felony convictions.
Of the departments we found, only Canton has a lower starting salary than Cleveland at $51,000 a year. Lakewood offers $65,682.83 a year, and while Avon technically only offers $23.35 an hour ($48,568 a year), that figure increases to $32.78 an hour ($68,179.74 a year) if the applicant is certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
If you are interested in applying for a position, there are multiple ways to apply:
- Go to the website of the department you are interested in applying for. There should be a section titled "Careers," "Hiring, or "Jobs." Within that section, you will find a job description, benefits, salary, and a link to complete the job application or download it to complete on paper and send it to the police department.
- Departments also list non-emergency phone numbers to call with any questions, the email of a police chief or supervisor, and the address of the department if you would prefer to turn in the application on paper.
