APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Fox Valley Police Departments are growing concerned about a scarce number of applications coming in to fill out the force.
At the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office, they say receiving hundreds of qualified applications was fairly common in the past.
Now, that just seems like wishful thinking.
“I mean a small handful, maybe six or a dozen qualified applicants for one position,” explains Sgt. Nathan Borman with the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office.
He says one of the major factors in-play is the financial situation surrounding training.
Qualified candidates have a 2 to 4 year college degree and are typically certified through the recruit academy.
The academy costs $5,000 for a student, but if a department puts a student through it, it would be over $20,000 for the agency because of salary and benefits.
“We’re running out of room to cut, and investing in the cost of somebody going to the academy is a significant committal on our part,” says Borman.
The problem exists at the Appleton Police Department as well, which is especially unfortunate since they have a pressing need.
“We’re coming up to that point where a bulk of officers that were maybe hired at the same time are retiring around that same time,” explains Officer Meghan Cash with the Appleton Police Department.
Between 2013 and 2016, the number of sworn officers nationwide fell by 23,000, according to the most recent report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Borman theorizes that they are losing some “would-be” cops to the private sector.
“They’re really on par with us for benefits these days, its hard to get anybody to apply,” says Borman.
For what it’s worth, Fox Valley Technical College hasn’t seen a decrease of enrollment in its criminal justice program.
“I think what we’re starting to see is that other students are understanding there’s other career opportunities out there, besides police or law enforcement career. So we’re seeing them look for opportunities in the private sectors, certainly corrections or probation parole as well,” explains Cory McKone, FVTC Associate Dean of Public Safety.
Borman hopes students will still look into law enforcement as a good job prospect.
“A career in law enforcement is very rewarding. There’s a lot of benefits to becoming a police officer,” says Borman. “You get to be part of the community, get to serve the community and it’s a promising career.”
He adds that another factor might be the public perception surrounding police work.
“The atmosphere about law enforcement today is a bit challenging, I would argue that our community is supportive around here, but the general nationwide attitude toward law enforcement is a challenge,” explains Borman.
