The Thinning Blue Line: The Growing Exodus of Police Officers

The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) is down by 300 officers. With an authorized force of 1,328, it now has just 1,038. At the end of July this year, another 95 officers---sergeants, lieutenants, and administrative staff have the option to hang it up.  Why are so many experienced  police officers leaving?

The Louisville Metro Police Department has faced decades of mistrust from officers and the community going back to the city/county merger 2002 when dozens of county officers decided to leave rather than to be part of the newly created metro police department (which was, in fact, merely an expanded city police department). In many ways, the seeds of public distrust were planted in 1975/76 when officers were required to maintain order during the deeply opposed court ordered forced school busing.

However, it was the deaths of Breonna Taylor and David McAtee which ignited the exodus. Breonna Taylor was shot in May 2020 and killed in a botched police drug raid while Mr. McAtte, the owner of a popular BBQ restaurant in Louisville's predominately black West End, was killed in June by the Kentucky National Guard amid protests following Taylor's death (then police chief Robert White was fired shortly thereafter over the shootings, allegations of a cover-up, and concerns relating to unapproved overtime).        

To offset the shortages of officers, the city's Democrat mayor, Greg Fischer, and the Democrat dominated Metro Council authorized $218 million for the 2023 LMPD budget; $25 million more than it currently receives. This represents nearly 1/3 of the city's general fund. Nevertheless, shortages continue amid a complete distrust of top management, including the newly appointed Police Chief Erika Shields (she was the police chief, albeit an unpopular one, from Atlanta Georgia).

As an aside, the distrust and distain also extends to the current mayor, Greg Fischer as well. Fischer has been mayor since 2010 and has continued to earn poor marks in the city's low and middle class areas such as Okolona, Fern Creek, Valley Station, and Pleasure Ridge Park. His popularity among minorities as well as the police department and Metro Council (which has its own popularity problems) remain low.

LMPD has been looking for minority candidates to fill its depleted roll. It has dropped height, education, and test score requirements to make that happen, but with the shortages, almost anyone without a criminal record and in decent health will do (and even that's kinda sketchy). A new requirement say you can't "have used, possessed or sold a narcotic in the last six years"!  Like other police departments, the LMPD is trying to steal replacements wherever it can by offering lateral transfers higher salaries and improved benefit packages (fully funded pensions remain a ongoing problem)

June of 2022 had its largest new police class in three years---31 applicants, but that's far short of its previous class sizes of 48. Recently that number has been around 18 to 19 seats filled, making the 31 recruits appear increasingly more like an aberration rather than a correction.

The department remains predominately white and male (current recruitment is 71% white and male).  Females make up just under 14% of the force while men are over 86%. Whites in general (men and women) are almost 81% of the force. Blacks of both genders comprise 13.87% while 3.32% are Hispanic. Asians comprise 1.46% and Native Americans are just 0.20%.  The largest age "bubble" is between 26 and 45 years old.  

As stated above,  the money situation has improved.  The average salary after two years is now $71k plus benefits, which is a significant improvement, but the long hours, lousy shifts, and high stress environment of police life remain. LMPD Union President Ryan Nichols calls the retention situation  "dire" and added that at the present rate, the matter could become catastrophic in short order.

Minneapolis was the epicenter of the police protests. It's where George Floyd was killed in May 2020 by Officer Derek Chauvin, one of four officers called to investigate a possible counterfeit $20 dollar bill by a store clerk.  Floyd was subsequently detained (Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds) and died shortly afterwards (an autopsy found drugs in his system which were likely strong contributing factors to his death). Since the incident which captured the world's attention. Minneapolis has lost well over 300 of its officers.

Police retirements have jumped by 45% and resignations have increased 18%. The western Minneapolis community of Morris will disband its police force after 140 years of service by the end of the year. The reason? Not enough officers. The 5,200 strong community will use the Stevens County Police Department for its law enforcement needs.

With the decline in officers, amid demands to "defund the police" and "community monitoring", crime has skyrocketed across Minneapolis. Last year there was a record number of murders---62.  As of this March, there were 55. Carjackings for 2021 totaled 2,423. In the first third of 2022 there had already been over 3,000! 4,969 assaults were reported in 2021. By the end of the first quarter, there were already 5,573 with no relief in sight.

Back in Louisville, the situation isn't any better.  Louisville is ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the country (in one report where "100" was the safest and "0" was basically a Dodge City, Louisville was ranked "5"). Another national site rated Louisville an "F" when it came to crime (along with its school system). Louisville's murder rate is more than double the national average and exceeds much larger cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.

Violent assaults in Metro Louisville are also double the national average as are carjackings. Rapes, thankfully, are well below the national average while armed robberies, burglaries and thefts are all about 25% higher than average.

In Asheville North Carolina, more than 1/3 of the police force has quit, resigned, or retired. In New York City, one of the largest police departments in the nation, 2,600 officers called it quits in 2020. In Seattle, resignations and retirements more than tripled, 219 compared to 77. In Philadelphia, which has been racked by an increase in crime, has seen over 79 officers take early retirement thus far this year.

Chicago, a city notorious  for its crime and corruption, has been hemorrhaging police officers and civilian staff. As of April 2022, 300 officers had left. In March there were 11,669 men and women in blue. In 2021 there were 12,739, down 560 from the year before, which was further down 749 from 2019!  For 30 years, the city has never had less than 12,000 officers on duty. Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown called the exodus "generational", meaning it wasn't just the rookies leaving or the "old timers". It's across the board with newbies and experienced officers turning in their badges, along with staffers.

The reason for the mass departure of officers stems from several factors, but most notably from Mayor Lori Lightfoot's edict that everyone had to be vaccinated against Covid-19 whether they wanted to be or not. In addition, the department has seen its budget repeatedly sliced amid calls to "defund" the police (in 2020 the budget was cut by $59 million), along with an increase of assaults, mandatory overtime and a reduction in compensation.

San Francisco is facing a massive exit of police officers. San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said that he's worry that nearly a quarter of the departments staff will walk out as their early retirement dates near.  Thus far, the city is already down by 600 officers with more expected to leave, and it gets worse.

According to Chief Scott, for every 50 officers leaving, only about eight to ten recruits are taking their place (on average, about 25 apply with roughly half being cut for one reason or another before graduating). Like most other cities, San Francisco is trying to lure officers from elsewhere with offers of more money and benefits thanks to an increased budget.

However, as Chief Scott admits, he's competing with nearly every other police department in the nation. He's also faced with the fact that San Francisco is one of the most expensive place in the country to live, especially if you're coming from out of state. As an aside, in a recent poll, 65% of residents in the Bay Area said that fear of crime was what kept them from coming to downtown San Francisco

According to the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington DC based policy institute, a study of 200 departments nationwide showed retirements (regular and early) were up 45% while resignations rose by 18% over the period from April 2020 to April 2021. In departments with more than 500 officers, the retirement rate was over 30% while new recruitments were under 5%. Those are unsustainable numbers.

Cities like Louisville and Minneapolis weren't the only ones with out of control crime in the face of fewer officers. According to the Police Executive Research Forum, most communities were experiencing a sudden increase in violent crimes like murder, shootings, and carjackings, as well as thefts after the mandatory Covid quarantines were lifted. Large cities have had a 24% increase in killings thus far in 2022, which followed a 30% increase in 2021. By the way, don't think for a moment that criminals aren't paying attention to and targeting these areas where officer shortages are occurring. 

Yes, it's true that the police are increasingly militarized, but they face criminals and gangs with the firepower of professional militias.  According to the FBI, in 2021 129 officers died. Of those, 73 were killed in the line of duty (23 of those were unprovoked attacks while 8 were ambushed). 56 died in accidents (17 of those were pursuits or  were responding to a crime in progress). This total represents 27 more deaths in the line of duty than in 2021.

In today's two tier judicial system, too often the testimony of someone is devalued or their guilt is determined based on the perceived income level, origin, or color of their skin while an officer, politician, or judge walks despite evidence of their guilt. Meanwhile, the wealthy and powerful don't even come close to facing the same "justice" ordinary citizens deal with and even fewer face the true consequences of their actions. 

Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions. The deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, David McAtee, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, or Tamir Rice and others are more than regrettable. They are a national tragedy, as is every lost life due to a crime. Many were, for the most part, avoidable.  However, not all the blame belongs on the shoulders of the police. 

First and foremost is restoring discipline and respect for authority at home and in the schools. There's a direct correlation between doing what a teacher tells you and what a police officer tells you. However, the repercussions can be much worse.  When a cop tells you to do something, stop what you're doing, don't mouth off, and do what you're told. You keep your hands where they can be clearly seen. Don't make sudden moves, and you sure as heck don't run! I can guarantee that you're not faster than a 9mm and you're sure as hell not bulletproof. This isn't about race, gender, religion, or anything else. It's about keeping everyone safe.

 In most cases you'll get a warning or ticket and sent on your way. Get cocky, you may get a free ride downtown. If you do something stupid, you may get a trip to the hospital or morgue. If there's a problem with the stop, go see a lawyer as soon as you can and let them handle it. Otherwise chalk it up to experience. It's better to be a live plaintiff than a dead victim.

Yes, police officers and first responders need more diverse hires along with diversity training. In fact, I think everyone needs diversity training. Perhaps it should be a mandatory class in high school alongside ethics and civics. Everyone is deserving of respect and even some empathy, but not due to some misplaced sense of entitlement or self importance. But because it's the right thing to do as a human being. However, respect and empathy are a two way street. If you want it, you have to give it.

Police officers are resigning or retiring enmasse because to significant degree the public has turned against them, thanks in large part to the media. They have lost the public's respect.  Calls to defund the police force has resulted in a decrease in their ability to do their job, which is to keep the public safe and maintain order. They also must deal every day with people under the worse of circumstances. That's where the empathy comes in.

 

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read A/O. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you!  

 

LMPD ramps up recruitment in face of shortage

'We're at a dire level': Nearly 100 LMPD officers eligible to retire as staffing shortages continue

LMPD Demographics August 2022

 

Why Police Have Been Quitting in Droves in the Last Year

 

Minneapolis Police Department Down 300 Officers from spring2020

Minneapolis DataSource: Crime Dashboard

AreaVibes: Louisville, KY Crime

Chicago Police Staffing hits new low...

SFPD chief worries about loss of hundreds of officers amidstaffing shortages

Sanctuary Cities and Crime: A Lethal Combination

"Sanctuary Cities" tend to be a very controversial topic as you may well imagine. After all, it's topic which deals with human lives and our treatment of fellow human beings, the notion of "just" versus "unjust" laws, and economics, which of course, impact everybody in one fashion or another. Many will argue that use of "Sanctuary Cities" is little more than an attempt to usurp Federal authority over immigration laws; laws which some feel are unjust in that it denies individuals the freedom of movement and opportunity to seek self-betterment through economic means. In short, "Sanctuary Cities" revalidate the notion of being an American, such as the pursuit of happiness and individual sovereignty. Opponents , on the other hand, see sanctuary cities and other communities as nothing more than an attempt to circumvent Federal laws by aiding and abetting criminals.

As proof, some point to the unspoken policy of the liberal media to downplay the seriousness of the crime and refer to these individuals as "undocumented" or "unauthorized" immigrants rather than as illegal immigrants, and certainly never as criminals even though technically, although that would be their correct designation. The media also attempts to portray these individuals as simply being hardworking individuals holding down regular jobs trapped by an unjust system and hounded by inbred uneducated genetic throwbacks (a characterization that opponents of illegal immigration would strongly object to).

In addition, some would argue that the use of "Sanctuary Cities" is little more than an attempt to increase Federal aid money, which is based on population counts, as well as to fill low paying and hard to fill jobs. Just another attempt expand the "Nanny State" on the backs of taxpayers. At present, there are some 300 so-called sanctuary cities and towns in the United States with Louisville Kentucky, a mid-size city on the Ohio River, becoming the latest to join its ranks. Best estimated put the number of illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. at 11.3 million. The majority of these individuals live in California, Nevada, New York, Florida, New Jersey, and Illinois, while other states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Kansas, Georgia, and South Carolina have seen a significant rise in population.

Prior to 2015, the majority of illegal immigrants were from Latin America, with a majority of those being from Mexico. However, an April 2017 Pew Survey indicates that may be changing. Pew's report shows that the number of illegal Mexicans has dropped from a high of 6.4 million in 2009 to 5.6 million as of 2016. So, who is making of the difference? According to the poll, most of the new arrivals are from Asia, Haiti, and Central America. Nevertheless, there hasn't been a significant drop in the overall population of illegal immigration despite the drop of Mexicans crossing the border illegally. This is mainly due to efforts to bringing extended family members into the country to join those already here.

As for employment, Pew's poll indicates that illegal immigrants account for 8 million individuals; mostly employed in low paying positions such as hotel/motel housekeeping, the construction industry, childcare and custodial. The poll also notes that, for the first time, the majority of illegals living in the U.S. have been here for at least a decade, which brings us back to "Sanctuary Cities". It should come as no surprise that the population of illegal immigrants entering "Sanctuary Cities" has increased, and continues to do so. Sanctuary cities and towns tend to provide a wide array of services which helps them find jobs, medical care, housing, educational for themselves or children, and perhaps most important of all, ways to evade law enforcement and circumvent government red tape. However, with the influx of illegal immigrants, also comes the criminal element. As with the turn of the 20th Century, immigrants arriving from mostly poor and patricidal countries such as Italy, Poland, and Russia eventually brought with them the criminal gangs from the Old World, which would adapt and reorganized for the same reasons as before----power, money, and prestige.

Crime in Sanctuary cities usually go unreported. Most of the crimes are petty act of vandalism, panhandling, drunk and disorderly conduct, harassment, and general low level crimes. In most cases, the police let the individual off with a warning (assuming they can be found and identified), while other are briefly held and released. ICE (short for Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the federal agency charged with arresting and deporting those here illegally, are not notified as per the overarching policy of being a Sanctuary City.

Take this case in point. San Francisco has long been a Sanctuary City, and with it a policy of not reporting the arrest or detention of illegal immigrants and of not cooperating with ICE agents. In July of 2015 Kathryn Steinle, a 32 years old, was walking along the city's famous Pier 39, near Fisherman's Wharf with her father, when she was attacked and murdered by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an illegal immigrant with a long rap sheet of mostly petty crimes. However, of note, Mr. Lopez had been deported five times previously until finding "sanctuary" from authorities in San Francisco. Just a few months previous, Mr. Lopez was arrested on drug charges. The charges were (inexplicably) dropped, and despite ICE having learned of his arrest and making a formal request to be turned over to them, Mr. Lopez was released just prior to the arrival of ICE agents. The reason? San Francisco's policy of non-cooperation with federal authorities due to their "sanctuary" status. Had they cooperated, Ms. Steinle would likely still be alive. According to the Center for immigration Studies, of the estimated 8,100 illegal aliens arrest for a crime and subsequently released, 1900 were rearrested within a 9 month period on charges totaling 7500 charges according to a 2014 study.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported that as of 2014, that illegal immigrants were convicted and sentenced for committing over 13% of all crime in the U.S. The Justice Department reports that for the same period, 19% or 12,000 criminal cases filed by prosecutors were for violent crimes committed by illegal aliens. 22% or 13,300 were for felony drug charges. The U.S. Sentencing Commission found that 75% of all criminal defendants who were convicted and sentenced for federal drug violations were illegal immigrants. Want more? How about this. The FBI reported that from 2005 to 2008 there were 67,642 murders committed in the U.S., and from 2003 until 2009 there were 115,717 murders. The General Accounting Office indicates that 25,064 of these were committed by an illegal immigrant.

In California alone, which has a prison population of 130,000, 2400 of the inmates are illegal immigrates who had been convicted of murder. Additionally, for every 100,000 illegal immigrants, 92 are imprisoned for a violent crime. Does that sound like a low number to you? Compare it to this. For every 100,000 legal immigrant and citizen, only 74 are convicted for any crime. In Arizona, this number is 64 per 100,000 compared to 54 citizen and legal immigrant. In New York, the number is three times higher. For every 100,000, 169 illegal immigrants are imprisoned compared to 48 legal immigrant and citizen. The numbers are similar across the board and show that despite comprising just 3.8% of the overall population, illegal immigrants are responsible for the majority of violent and drug related crimes regardless of the "sanctuary" status where the crime was committed.

But this isn't the worse it. Not by a long shot. As I stated above, illegal activity by gangs typically follows the migration patterns of their identifying group (ethnic, religious, tribal, etc). During the turn of the 20th Century, and especially during Prohibition, criminal gangs became headline news. Previously relegated to the back page local newspapers, the likes of Al Capone and "The Outfit", "Dutch" Schultz, the Purple Gang, Dion O'Banion and his North Side Gang, "Legs" Diamond. Owney Madden, the Harlem Gang, Murder Incorporated, "Bugsy" Siegel and Frank Costello captivated the public's imagination. The majority of these criminal groups were mostly ethnic, Sicilian/Italian, Jewish, Irish, Black, or German. The gangs today are no different. Some of Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Columbian, black, or Bosnian. Today's gangs however, are far more ruthless. While the gangs of the past seem to have a moral compass, at least when it came to "civilians", today's gangs have little regard for human life, and even less of personal property.

The top ranked gangs are often far above the capabilities of local law enforcement. In many cases, they nearly exceed government forces in places like Mexico or Latin America. Here in the U.S. it usually takes the training and resources of federal agencies to gain an handle on the situation, which presents a problem for sanctuary towns and cities who, on one hand, thumb their noses are federal laws, and on the other hand hold it wide open for federal money needed to equip or train police officers or pay for the formation of special units and any overtime. Quite the pickle should Washington opt to play the same game as cock-sure mayors or other local officials, not to mention the inevitable backlash from citizens.

So, who are these gangs? According to federal law enforcement agencies, the most lethal is MS 13, which has about 10,000 members currently in the U.S.; possibly more. MS 13 was found in Salvadorian community in Los Angeles in the 1980s and operate out 40 cities (and yes, most of those are sanctuary cities). Barrio 18 (aka The 18th Street Gang or M 18) is another highly dangerous gang. According to the FBI, M 18 has "tens of thousands" members operating throughout the U.S. which, as with MS 13, includes sanctuary cities. They are active in prostitution, drug trafficking of all types, murder for hire, kidnapping, and extortion.

Barrio Azteca has several thousand member who operate primarily in the South, but also is believed to have operations in Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, and along the Eastern Seaboard. This gang is affiliated with the powerful Juarez Drug Cartel out of Mexico. They are involved with trafficking cocaine in its various forms as well as murder for hire, especially within the federal prison system and so-called "high profile" killings. The Trinitarios originated in New York City back in the late 1980s. The gang is mostly make up of individuals from the Dominican Republic. In addition to NYC, they gang operates in New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. In addition to specializing in murder for hire, the gang is highly involved in oxycodone, crack cocaine, marijuana, and cocaine.

Chicago has its small mini-gangs (sometimes referred to "splinter" gangs which broke off larger, more powerful gangs like Gangster Disciples and the Hit Squad in the 1980s). These gangs do it all, from drug trafficking, petty crime, murder, prostitution, extortion; you name it. These gangs, which are made up mostly of juveniles (their average age is 14) are responsible for Chicago's massive murder count. An interesting aside, most of these gangs operate out of Al Capone's old South Side. Two other, more recognizable, gangs are the Crips and Bloods. The Crips were originally formed and operate out Los Angeles. This gang is a little different from the other mentioned. They are involved in bank robberies, armored car heists, store robberies, carjacking, armed assault, burglaries and rapes. Their arch rival, the Bloods, started back in the late 1960s and is one of the oldest gangs listed. The Bloods are involved in pretty every form of crime from drugs to murder and armed robbery. Like many of the other gangs, the Bloods and Crips have chapters scattered across the U.S. It should be pointed out that as much as the Crips and Blood dislike each other, they have something else in common besides their criminal activity. Both gangs are utterly despised by the Hispanic gangs already mentioned.

So, this is another plus being a sanctuary city will bring its residents, increased crime and violence, along with turf wars which have no regard life. City governments find themselves constantly trying to play catch-up with the addition costs illegal immigration brings to so-called "sanctuary" cities, just in terms of basic services. The result, thanks to higher taxes, is often local residents moving out as illegal immigrants move in. Local police, no matter how tough they think they are, struggle daily in matching the firepower of these gangs which follow the migration of immigrants, both legal and especially illegal. Meanwhile crime of all sorts increase as the gangs move in. These same gangs have no qualms about shooting cops. We'll cover more of the "bonuses" of being a sanctuary city in later issue.


5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S.


Map Showing How Many 'Sanctuary Cities' Are Sheltering Illegal Immigrants in the US---And Where They Are

The Truth About crime, illegal immigrants, and sanctuary cities


USDJ: History of Street Gangs in the United States

10 Of The Most Lethal Gangs In America