HARDER TO FILL THE RANKS
Fewer police recruits amid killings, scrutiny
The number of men and women willing to join the Thin Blue Line is plunging in an era of execution-style killings of cops and heightened scrutiny of officers’ split-second decisions in highstress situations, police commanders say.
Once a much sought-after job that offered honor, prestige, good benefits and lucrative details, there are now dramatically fewer people sitting for the civil service exam, and retaining veteran cops is becoming a problem.
In Boston, the current civil service list for entry-level police jobs has 2,536 names on it.
“I think it’s the lowest we’ve ever had for people taking the exam,” police Commissioner William B. Evans said. “I came on the job years ago and there were thousands more than there are now.”
“There were 15,000 to 20,000 people fighting for those positions when I came on the police department in 1986,” added Dan Linskey, former Boston police superintendent in chief.
The Massachusetts Human Resources Division was not immediately able to provide numbers of applicants from previous years. But other police chiefs around the region echoed Boston’s concern.
“Recruitment and retention is becoming a major problem,” Marshfield police Chief Phil Tavares said. “The job has changed. Oftentimes now I hear, ‘I would never want your job,’ and I see why.”
In the past three months, three officers have been killed in New England. On Sunday, Weymouth Sgt. Michael Chesna was shot execution-style with 10 bullets from his own gun as he lay on the ground, knocked down by a rock to the head. In April, Yarmouth Sgt. Sean Gannon was ambushed while searching for a suspect. Weeks later, Maine Sheriff’s Deputy Eugene Cole was shot execution-style while patrolling in the middle of the night. In each case, suspects with significant drug histories have been charged.
“It just serves as a constant reminder that this is a very dangerous job,” Chelsea police Chief Bryan Kyes said. “The job has always been dangerous, but it’s been reported a lot more with the news and social media. Young people say, ‘I don’t want to jeopardize my life to get a paycheck.’ ”
Meanwhile, police in Boston have found themselves repeatedly facing hostile crowds at crime scenes, while police nationwide are under a microscope, videotaped on the job, and protested in the wake of shootings of suspects.
“Violence has always gone on, but it seems more intense now,” Linskey said. “Any use of force by a police officer is under a lot more scrutiny — it’s balancing act and the crux for law enforcement is trying to find out what that balance is.”
Both Linskey and former Boston police Commissioner Edward F. Davis say they are concerned street cops in tense situations might hesitate to use force when necessary, in fear of being “vilified” — or conversely that they might act too quickly to avoid being attacked.
“The old adage, ‘Be careful out there,’ applies now more than ever,” Davis said. “Clearly there is an increase and we should be looking very closely at it right now.”