It would have surprised me if John Whitmire’s promise/wish for more Houston police officers had been met. It is easy for politicians to make promises, and it is that eternal hope or maybe ignorance that keeps people believing in the tooth fairy that keeps the politicians telling us fairy tales about what they will accomplish.
Mayor John Whitmire previously discussed the possibility of lowering the age required to enter the academy, but a city council member is now mulling taking high school graduates as civilian employees as a means of adding to the department’s staff. The department last month graduated 65 cadets, the latest class to finish with fewer than the targeted 75 to 82 cadets recruiters aim for. Of the five classes this year, only one has finished within that range at 77.
More than 90% of the HPD’s budget goes toward staffing costs, covering roughly 5,200 officers and 900 civilian employees, according to budget documents. Leaders have said police staffing numbers are lower than they were 25 years ago, despite the growth of the city’s population over the years.
City leaders in recent months approved a $10,000 hiring incentive to cadets’ base salary of $42,000 as a way to draw additional applicants.
Almost a third of police officers can retire, creating a big problem for the city.
Turner said the staffing challenge is a result of high departure rates and an aging police force from which 28 percent of all officers are eligible to retire.
“The problem has always been that we have a significant percentage of police officers who are eligible to retire,” Turner said as he unveiled his final budget plan last Wednesday.
Below is a chart that indicates how the number of police officers per Houston resident has increased over the last 25 years.
