Multiple outlets are reporting that many officers have left Democrat-run city police forces in 2022.

Multiple accounts say scores of officers quit over low morale, a violent crime wave, and higher-paying positions elsewhere. Low morale is a serious problem in many police departments, says Texas Christian University Associate Dean and policing expert Johnny Nhan.

Nhan said, “Patrol officers these days feel like they’re not getting the support that they once got by the public,” adding, “It’s anything from apathy to hostility that they’re facing. They’re afraid of accusations of being racist or being brutal, they’re filmed all the time, so that does something to the officers. They’re feeling like, ‘Hey, there’s a lot of legal risk being a cop these days.’” Nhan is a reserve police officer.

The New York Times reported that 1,225 officers in their first five years of employment quit the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in the first 11 months of 2022. That was according to NYC Police Pension Fund data noted by the outlet.

“Other communities are recognizing the talent and are poaching our members,” said Patrick Lynch, President of the NYC Police Benevolent Association. He added, “If we pay our police officers a market rate of pay, they will stay here.”

According to the NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information office, the department has hired “approximately 2000 individuals”

Robberies and aggravated assaults jumped 13 and 2.6% across 70 law enforcement agencies’ jurisdictions in the first half of the year, while homicides decreased 2.5%, according to a Major Cities Chiefs Association report.

San Diego Police Union President Jered Wilson claimed the SDPD lost more than 50 officers between July 1 and Sept. 29. The LA Times reported that more than 60 SDPD officers resigned between July 2021 and June 2022.

“They see the urban decay that is really occurring in San Diego, and they are fleeing with their families, they are fleeing with their careers,” Wilson said. By June 2022, San Diego County had its highest midyear violent crime rate in 10 years, with a 4% rise in killings and a 15% spike in robberies.

Nhan told the DCNF that officers in certain large departments feel unsupported by their executive command staff, fearing that “if something happens, somebody like a police chief would side with the media, would side with politicians, and kind of make an example of the officer instead of supporting them, having their back, defending them.”

VIOLENT CRIME SURVEY – NATIONAL TOTALS

WESA reported that 76 Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers quit between January and December 1, 2022. Understaffed officers often worked overtime, according to Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt.

“Pittsburgh is a bureau with a history of longevity when it comes to officer employment,” a Pittsburg Department of Public Safety spokesperson told the DCNF. “Many of our officers have reached retirement age. That number also accounts for and includes terminations.”

As of Oct. 31, the SPD had 1106 employees, including 803 officers and 28 recruits.

Nahn said certain cops fear termination for legal measures against department policy or procedure that are actually legal in their states. That’s how bad some department protocols have become.

“People who are on the streets can’t wait to get off the streets, and people who are off the streets see that profession as crumbling,” he told the DCNF. “A lot of the old timers are like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna get out before it gets ugly.’ So they’re accepting retirement early or just leaving the profession.”

According to numbers provided by the SPD to the DCNF, the SPD had 1106 employees as of October 31, including 803 police officers and 28 police recruits.

According to data obtained by CBS Chicago, more than 220 police officers resigned from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) between January and August. According to CPD records cited by the city’s Office of Inspector General, some officers worked 11 days in a row between April 1 and May 31.

“Fact: cops are burnt out, they are not getting that needed time off, and they absolutely don’t have enough support from this mayor or superintendent. Period.” Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said in June, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The CPD informed the DCNF that it now has approximately 1,000 police officer vacancies, having hired 851 recruits so far in 2022, with another incoming class due to arrive before the end of the year.

“The Chicago Police Department is continuing to ramp up its hiring efforts as law enforcement across the nation see an increase in retirements,” the department noted.