Officers exiting Atlanta police force

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Officers exiting Atlanta police force

By ERIC STIRGUS, TIM EBERLY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/28/08

The Atlanta Police Department has been unable to reach its longtime goal of 2,000 officers on the force largely because it's having trouble keeping recruits and younger officers, the city's internal auditors say in a report to be released Tuesday.

About 9 percent of the 1,600-member force left last year, auditors said the 36-page report. In 2004, the departure rate was nearly 7 percent.

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"It's going to be hard to reach that 2,000 mark," Councilwoman Cleta Winslow, chair of the council's Public Safety Committee, said Monday. "We have as many people leaving as coming. It's just so much competition [from other law enforcement agencies] around the country."

Atlanta police Sgt. Lisa Keyes, a department spokeswoman, said Monday evening she did not know about the report and did not have a copy. But she said the department is looking into the issue.

"We're in the process of evaluating why officers are leaving so that we can retain more officers," Keyes said. "And at the same time, we want to make our department more attractive to potential candidates."

Keyes said she couldn't specify how the department is evaluating the departure of officers, but said exit interviews are a factor.

"They are read," Keyes said. "They are evaluated to see why people are leaving."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of the report Monday. Auditor Leslie Ward declined to comment.

Auditors found the staffing problems have resulted in fewer officers on patrol. During one day in August, each of the city's six zones had one beat uncovered during a shift.

The police department has 139 more officers than it did in 2003, when auditors began their research. But the department has had more trouble keeping officers in the past year.

At the end of 2006, the police force had 1,607 sworn officers. By the end of last year, the department had 1,606 sworn officers.

Former Mayor Bill Campbell pledged in the 1990s to have 2,000 officers on the force by 2000. A 2004 report for the city established a goal of 2,000 police officers.

Police officials include recruits in its total of officers, but auditors say it takes about nine months before recruits are on patrol.

The auditors wrote that police commanders should focus more on why officers are leaving. One-half of the police officers who left in 2006 took lateral or lower-paying jobs, according to exit interviews reviewed by the auditors. Police officials told auditors they have tried to retain officers by offering tuition reimbursement, bonuses and more training opportunities.

Ward wrote in a letter to city officials that she did the audit because of the police department's importance to city government and its impact on the Atlanta general fund budget, which had a deficit of more than $60 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. The police department's current budget is nearly $180 million, more than any city agency in Atlanta's general fund.

Mayor Shirley Franklin and council members have bickered over the budget situation and its impact on public safety services. Franklin said she would not fund 53 vacant police department positions after the council approved budget cuts instead of raising property taxes this year.

ATLANTA PD STAFFING

Year	Daily Avg. of sworn officers, recruits	Officers who left
2004	1,615	109
2005	1,648	140
2006	1,660	181
2007	1,705	155
Source: City of Atlanta Internal Auditor

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Comments

By Stephanie

Aug 16, 2008 12:23 AM | Link to this

What veteran would want to work somewhere where a lateral transfer could come in (with less experience than you) and make MORE money? The trainee is better compensated than the trainer! I don't care how good or bad your attitude is, that is an awful way to retain officers.

By Cops Are Heros

Jul 30, 2008 4:59 PM | Link to this

They should have a test to makes sure hostile people with bad attitudes don�t get hired and never wear the uniform of the APD or any other police force.

People with bad attitudes increase turnover. Unfortunately too many such people get hired. All they do is complain, get riled up, and make everybody miserable. When they finally quit or get fired everybody says, "Whew! I'm glad they're gone." That's what you call "good turnover".

Donnie: Do your really think the people of the city are extremely rude and ungrateful? Do you really think citizens don�t back APD Officers in trying to fight crime? If so, you�re mistaken. Your suggestion that all of APD should quit or transfer somewhere else is alarming. It�s betrays a hostile attitude toward the citizens of Atlanta. Perhaps you have a problem with hostility, and you see hostile intent in others, when it is really inside you. If that is true, you should quit, and the sooner the better. No upstanding citizen supports thugs IN or OUT of the police force. Are you a thug? If my love ones or I ever need the help of the police, I hope it's a good cop that comes. I hope its not you.

APD Truth: the same goes for you. You say, �Nobody really wants to fight crime or be a "go getter" because the OFFICERS get in more trouble than the THUGS�, �supervisors don't want you to do too much�, and �Everyone in APD knows to come to work, do as little as possible�. That�s not true, I�m sure your attitude doesn�t represent all the other officers. That�s just the way you see it. Perhaps it�s you that has a problem, and your perceptions are only a way for you to rationalize your shoddy attitude. Perhaps it�s really YOU that doesn�t want to be a go getter. Maybe YOU don�t want to do too much. Maybe YOU want to do as little as possible.

Good Officers should make a decent wage consistent with the skill and market demands. They should also have good coworkers, supervisors, managers, executives, and political leadership. To the extent all of that is not true, the City and APD should make it better � and that includes not hiring bad attitude cops and getting rid of the ones that should never have been hired. They make it bad for everybody � inside and outside the force.

Anyway, turnover of 9% is pretty darn good these days. Lots of well-run organizations would be very happy if they could get turnover down that low! APD must be doing something right.

By 1aweek

Jul 30, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this

Inconsistent pay, Inconsistent discipline, Unfair discipline, Stupervisors, Politricks, Too much work for too little pay. These are just a few reasons why officers leave. Also big time micromanagement.

By police

Jul 30, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this

Exit interviews that a number of officers leave for less or equal pay. What is not clear is how much those officers will be paid the following years. With little to no hope of seeing a raise in the near future, many APD officers are willing to take a slight pay cut to work in better conditions with the knowledge that they will receive regular raises for their good work. Within a year or two they will likely be paid more than they could make with APD in the next 5 years.

The large percentage of officers that are leaving the department seem to have less than 5 years of experience. This seems to be a unique situation. I attribute this to the perception that their is no room for growth and development, personally and professionally, within this department. No clear career ladder, limited promotions, frozen increments and the financial burden of no raises, no overtime pay and working numerous extra jobs to make ends meet or provide for a family all work to drive officers to greener pastures.

Many officers are glad that you are drawing attention to our work conditions. Morale is very low right now and we are losing good officers. Anything that makes this a better work environment is welcomed.

By police

Jul 30, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this

By spk

Jul 30, 2008 12:23 AM | Link to this

The biggest problem is morale,disparaties in treatment and management not doing the right things when obvious wrong doing is taking place. The atlanta police department will conduct internal investigations that are botched up,terminated vested employees without following policies or procedures. No one took the time to review the bothed up investigation that involved several officers working the extra job. We are leaving because vested employees that are respected are terminated for honest mistakes that anyone can make. The article written last year in the AJC Truth or Consequences was considered an administrative error involving once again the OPS commander and 3 lieutenants actually lied about return calls after hours all three forms were processed,signed being truthful and forwarded through the chain of command. Their untruthful was not handle properly this was work related. However there was a female sergeant,worked an off duty city extra job in 2005, after the botched up investigation was completed the female was terminated in 2007. Why was this female that is well respected then and now terminated. The female sergeant saved the city law suits, pevented citizens from filing false claims of being injuried because of the sidewalk. Several officer left the department after this unjustified terminated. The female is still fighting for her job and we are standing in her corner. There was a male lieutenant fired after the female sergeant only terminated for 2 months and presently back at work. The due process for some that are terminated is 60 days before the board and others it takes a life time.

By RC

Jul 29, 2008 9:59 PM | Link to this

I AM A APD OFFICER AND I HAVENT HAD A RAISE IN OVER 7 YEARS, IM CONSIDERING LEAVING JUST WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME. ITS EVEN HARDER WHEN YOU HAVE RECRUITS AND LATERAL COMING IN MAKING MORE THAN ME. SITTING IN A PATROL CAR WITH THE PERSON YOUR TRAINING MAKING MORE THAN YOU SUCKS, THIS YEAR OUR INSURANCE WENT UP AND THERE IS NO PAY RAISE, SO THATS OVER $200 LESS IM MAKING A CHECK. MEANING MY CHECK IS GETTING SMALLER EVERY YEAR. WHY STAY. NOW THE DEPARTMENT IS FINDING EVERYWAY TO FIRE YOU WHEN YOU GET A COMPLAINT FROM A CRIMINAL ATLANTA IS GETTING WORSE AND WILL NOT GET BETTER (WE NEED A NEW MAYOR AND CHIEF)

By RC

Jul 29, 2008 9:59 PM | Link to this

By RC

Jul 29, 2008 9:58 PM | Link to this

By blue

Jul 29, 2008 8:23 PM | Link to this

I agree with EJ, by the way those incompetent supervisors..command staff received their raises!

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