Law enforcement agencies tout success of incentives

A shortage of police officers in local law enforcement agencies -- and across the country -- has been a persistent issue over the last few years.

In a presentation of a mid-year report of crime statistics from the Cape Girardeau Police Department before the Cape Girardeau City Council, chief Wes Blair expressed pride in his officers' performance during the first half of 2022 in spite of an ongoing personnel shortage at CGPD -- along with funding issues and what he characterized as a national negative public sentiment against the police.

At the time, the department had 17 full-time officer openings. Assistant chief Adam Glueck said that number was as high as 20 within the last year -- 25% of the 80 full-time positions available in the budget.

But those numbers have fallen of late.

The assistant chief said the department is down to seven full-time openings. Numerous new hires are going through training and will be able to assume full-time duties in a few months.

The Sikeston (Missouri) Department of Public Safety suffered from a similar issue, according to Sgt. Tyler Rowe, public information officer for the department. Sikeston DPS is a combination of both police and fire operations. The department employs 67 full-time officers. At one point in 2021, DPS had 17 vacancies. In the same year, DPS hired 24 officers, around 40% of their full-time staff. Currently, the department has three vacancies.

Sgt. Cody Windbigler, public information officer for Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, said the county law enforcement agency has "felt the same issues as any other employer in the last couple of years, trying to keep a full staff."

The sheriff's office is close to being fully staffed, he said.

Recent adjustments have allowed these local agencies to buck the national trend.

"I think right now the thing that has been the driving force for us was obviously our ability to raise the starting pay over the last several years," Rowe said.

CGPD and Sikeston DPS increased pay within the last year, allowing them to be competitive with each other and others in the region.

Sikeston DPS increased starting salary for new officers around $3,500 in August from $40,556 to $44,073.

CGPD had a raise take effect on July 1 -- the new fiscal year -- raising the hourly wage for officers from $18.54 an hour to $20.77 an hour or $43,201.60 annually.

"Candidates have applied specifically for the pay and stipend offers," Glueck said.

But pay rate isn't the only incentive agencies are using.

The City of Cape Girardeau officially increased its Local Government Employees Retirement system benefits to the highest tier available. The benefit boost has helped recruit new officers and keep existing ones, Glueck said. CGPD also offers $6,000 stipends paid out over three years to officers with a peace license certification.

Sikeston DPS currently has a possible $3,000 signing bonus for new officers. The department also has the ability to pay for people police academy experience and pay them a training wage as well. Rowe said it's helped ease the financial strain on new officers and makes them "feel like they're part of the department already."

Rowe said perhaps the most impactful change has been expanding the area that officers can live. When he arrived at the department in 2014, DPS personnel were required to live within a 10-mile radius of Sikeston. Now, they can live anywhere in a 30-mile radius.

The changes have allowed these agencies to operate more smoothly. Larger staffs place less strain on individuals and reduce the amount of overtime officers must work, the officials said.

Glueck and Rowe said an increase in personnel boosts morale and can change the way the agencies operate.

"Having more police officers allows the department to be more proactive in crime reduction efforts as opposed to just reactive to crimes that have already taken place," Glueck said.