POLICE HAVE PROBLEM WITH HIGH TURNOVER

Fewer people are looking for careers in law enforcement, which has caused turnover to increase and the number of applications to shrink at the Cape Girardeau Police Department, according to Chief Rick Hetzel.

During the past five years, the department has seen a turnover of more than 10 percent of its uniformed officers each year. Some leave for other law enforcement agencies, others find higher paying jobs in private industry and some retire.

Although officers are regularly replaced within three months of departing, the turnover rate is still too high, Capt. Randy Roddy said.

Getting and keeping officers is a problem shared by police forces nationwide. In departments as large as New York City and the California Highway Patrol, applications have fallen by 56 and 39 percent, respectively, reports the journal "Crime Control Digest."

In the early 1980s, Cpl. Kevin Orr recalls, Cape Girardeau would get over 100 applicants interested in testing.

"Now we're fortunate if 19 or 20 show up," he said.

Jackson Police Chief Marvin Sides said his department is troubled by turnover. Police departments can't pay as much as security firms and other private industries, he said.

Many officers, once they have some experience, are attractive candidates for management jobs, Sides said.

"It's a good job market for those in law enforcement right now," he said.

Besides a good economy creating more jobs that pay better, the diminished number of applicants reflects generational changes, too, Hetzel said.

"The 'generation X' employee is typically not looking for a career," the chief said. "They are willing to go from job to job, looking for the best benefits they can get."

Typical starting pay for a Cape Girardeau officer is $24,800, with variations for education and experience, Roddy said.

A former officer who left the department this year to work for a position with Southwestern Bell was able to double his pay, Roddy said.

"In many cases, we're not in a situation where we can compete in salaries," he said.

Pay is a sensitive issue, Orr said. Starting salaries for police in Poplar Bluff, Joplin and Blue Springs are higher than in Cape Girardeau, despite the similarity in populations, he said.

Some police have left Cape Girardeau for other departments and taken a cut in pay in order to be closer to relatives, Roddy said.

A few officers have left and later returned, he said.

Despite the turnover, the department is consistently able to keep a full force of 72 uniformed officers, who come from not only Southeast Missouri but other parts of the Midwest, Roddy said.

Steps have been taken in recent months to get newly hired officers to work faster while attracting more applicants.

A six-member recruiting team has been created to travel to colleges and job fairs, Hetzel said.

Having an Internet site has also helped, Roddy said.

Last month the department decided to change its hiring process to cut down on the time between applying for a job and starting work.

Many of the steps taken later in the hiring process, such as background checks and intensive interviews, will been done earlier now, Roddy said.

"Before we wouldn't have entertained doing a background check so early on a candidate," Hetzel said.

No longer on the force

Uniformed officers who have left the Cape Girardeau Police Department:

1996 -- 7 officers, or 10.4 percent

1997 -- 7 officers, or 10.3 percent

1998 -- 7 officers, or 10.1 percent

1999 -- 9 officers, or 12.5 percent

2000 to date -- 9 officers, or 12.5 percent