NYS Police mount wide-ranging recruitment effort in troubled times

ALBANY — New York State Police are recruiting new troopers in a wide-ranging effort as they try to bolster their ranks to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in a period of low unemployment and at a time when experts say negative public perceptions have dissuaded some from becoming officers.

Recruitment ads show off sleek state police cruisers, motorcycles and ATVs in social media and on billboards, and the overall campaign includes raising the age a recruit can join, and even a loosening of the tattoo policy.

The campaign came as the ranks for state police are 153 troopers fewer than the 5,062 troopers on the job five years ago, and are contending with an attrition rate of 300 troopers a year, according to state police statistics.

The recruiting effort is bolstered by new rules to help attract trooper candidates.

The maximum age to apply to become a trooper was raised to 34, from 29. Military veterans may be able to apply up until the age of 42.

"By raising the maximum age of new recruits, we are widening the pool of people who can help us with this incredibly important work,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “After doubling the number of graduating classes from the New York State Police Academy starting next year, this new rule will help the state recruit more troopers and protect the people of New York.”

In addition, state police also relaxed the tattoo policy to allow ink that can be completely covered by a long-sleeve uniform or business attire.

“Our marketing outreach campaign has included billboards, videos, radio, streaming audio platforms such as Pandora, as well as other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, YouTube, TikTok and Indeed,” said state police spokeswoman Deeana Cohen. “We continue to recruit at colleges, military bases and community events across the state.”

Nationwide in the last five years, police agencies have been losing officers faster than they can swear in new officers, according to the Police Executive Research Forum and its extensive surveys. Its surveys found 47% more resignations in 2022 than in 2019.

Experts say a contributing factor in the difficulty of recruiting and retaining police can be seen in polls that found greater criticism of police in the last five years. Protests and Black Lives Matter demonstrations gripped the nation after a string of deaths of Black men in police confrontations, including the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. States, including New York, passed legislation to more closely monitor police with policies and devices such as body cameras.

Michael O’Meara, president of the Police Conference of the State of New York, said the difficulty of recruiting and retaining police includes the same problems faced by other public sector fields, such as the state’s reduced pension benefits. But he said police face additional, greater obstacles in a negative public perception that has taken a toll on recruitment and retention.

“It has been an enormous change,” said O’Meara, head of the largest police labor organization in the state and a retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority police officer. “In the wake of George Floyd, New York State was eager to pass laws that affected police officers in a negative way. It hurt our reputation with young people. I believe it was taken too far, That definitely had an effect.”

Cohen noted that some people "may have a negative view of the law enforcement profession, but there are many other reasons people choose not to pursue a career in law enforcement and you can’t point to one particular thing. As in any profession, individuals retire for various reasons. Additional reasons for retirement include: Aging out, obtaining max pension benefits, change of lifestyle, family issues.”

In addition to revising its rules to try to attract more candidates, state police on its website said it also “redesigned its recruitment program to reach a diverse pool of candidates,” including meeting with community leaders from neighborhoods whose residents are underrepresented within law enforcement.

It created recruitment teams in each region of the state and set a goal of increasing women in the ranks to 30% by 2030. The division also contracted with a company to offer its academy entrance exam online at a time set by applicants and from 54 sites statewide, more than 280 sites in the United States and 100 military facilities worldwide. Recruitment teams have formed in every region of the state.

State police wouldn’t immediately provide the cost of recruitment programs, the recruitment goals for each of the last five years, or attrition for each year.

As of last week, there were 4,909 sworn members of the state police, down from 4,911 last year. There were 4,762 troopers in 2021 and 4,771 in 2020. In 2019, there were 5,062 troopers, or 153 more than the ranks as of last week, according to the state police.

State police also have more responsibilities since 2019: A special surveillance system tracks hate speech, such as after the Hamas attack on Israel; troopers play a bigger role in the interdiction of illegal guns from other states; investigate cyberattacks; help cities deal with violent crime, and handle “extreme risk orders” under the state’s 2019 red flag law aimed at removing funds from potential mass shooters.

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on recruiting for state police. There was one class each in 2019 and in 2020, but no class in 2021 as part of the precautions against spreading COVID-19. This year, one class graduated in June, one is scheduled to graduate in December, and a new additional class began Sunday.

But public perception also is an important factor, experts say. A Siena College Research Institute poll, for example, found that 60% of voters polled said the killing of Floyd was “part of a broader pattern of excessive police violence toward Black people, not isolated instances.”

“There is the perception that police are not handling use of force situations appropriately,” said Chuck Wexler of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington think tank. “The narrative about policing has dramatically impacted both those who are applying and those who are presently officers in terms of early retirement and early resignations. It’s a time unlike any we’ve had and its taken its toll … no one is spared.”

“You have a very low unemployment rate and shortages of police and teachers, but the difference in policing is you have the profession experiencing a negative perception,” Wexler said

“It’s something that I have experienced personally,” said Kurt Nolan, executive director of the Police Benevolent Association of New York State. “When I got into the job in 2009, I was proud to be a police officer. But just in that short a period of time, the way that people talk to you … you sometimes don’t even want to say you are a police officer.”

Hochul told the state police graduating class of 238 in June that one of their tasks is contending with the public view.

“We need more of you because we are living in turbulent times,” Hochul said. “There’s a lot of mistrust among communities and law enforcement. And you are the individuals who, every single day, are going to get up and break down those barriers."

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.