Police Officers retiring en masse?

[Thin Lizzy]

So my little town was a nice place to live once upon a time, there were issues that many medium to large size towns have but overall it was a decent place to live. That was in the past, over the last 3 years crime has skyrocketed, a couple murders a month (compared to a couple a year), auto theft is rampant, strong arm robberies, assaults, a ton of commercial burglaries, shots fired calls every nite, mentally ill homeless walking in traffic, I could go on and on, you get the point. Almost every police officer who has secured their pension is cleaning out their locker or desk and hauling ***. I see alot of new faces, they look like kids to me but hey that's how it goes, we get old and younger folks come along. It sure seems like there are alot less traffic stops, speeders and wreckless drivers own the road, before they were ticketed and tagged for future reference, it just wasn't tolerated. I see a police officer, a woman, patrolling solo, maybe a shade over 5'2 and probably 115 pounds soaking wet. No disrespect but I'm thinking what happens when some 6'6 250 lb parolee says "F you lady I aint putting my hands behind my back"?. Meanwhile the governor is busy banning lawnmowers and working on slave reparations.

[sealocan]

"It sure seems like there are a lot less traffic stops, speeders and wreckless drivers own the road, before they were ticketed and tagged for future reference, it just wasn't tolerated."

I've noticed this in California and have friends mentioned they have seen the same thing on the east coast in the last few years.

I'm sure there are multiple reasons for it but the results will be the same... More people driving badly until people get hurt.

[Rogue187]

[Thin Lizzy]

yah, Oregon and Idaho according to the grapevine

[esy]

Was there a question we could help answer for you?

I saw two; one of them being hypothetical/rhetorical.

Are there a lot of people retiring? Yes, and that’s due to a number of reasons. Two of them being this job has done a number on their bodies/health, and financially they’re losing money by not retiring. Many of them come back as annuitants, make more money, and push the younger officers into their respective positions.

This profession, like all others, has waves of young and old. That’s just how it works. I hope the communities won’t have to see 57yo Officers/Deputies pushing a black and white. That’s just not a good idea, IMO.

[Thin Lizzy]

my bad, it started out as a question and devolved into a rant, belongs in another forum, you're very right about the cyclical nature of the job, late fifties OS just goes to **** or so I'm told

[esy]

my bad, it started out as a question and devolved into a rant, belongs in another forum, you're very right about the cyclical nature of the job, late fifties OS just goes to **** or so I'm told

All good. I totally understand and I would say the majority of LE and many of my friends are definitely frustrated. We all reap what we sow though, unfortunately.

[tdp113530]

LE is still an honorable job.

Its all the other reasons you posted that is the problem.

[Tyke8319]

^^^ditto

[Enzo rules]

Law enforcement is still an honorable profession done, for the most part, by honorable men and women.

[wpage]

Turning over new leaves is the right order of thing.

Like the armed forces and other time sensitive careers.

A time comes to let the new folk come in to do their part.

[veeklog]

Six months to be eligible to retire; I will stay another few years until I have another job lined up. The issue is the job isn’t as fun when I started in the late 1990’s. I have friends that have fifteen years plus and they are worried rightly so

[deadcoyote]

We have definitely suffered a mass exodus of early retirements. The greater concern to me is the number of young cops I encounter who are chilling at a terminal, I ask them to come serve some arrest warrants with me, and they tell me “this job is a joke and I’ve got 11 months left on my two year commitment and I’m not gonna do anything and I’m gonna leave once my 24 months is up and go back to (insert whatever industry here)”.

[Thin Lizzy]

We have definitely suffered a mass exodus of early retirements. The greater concern to me is the number of young cops I encounter who are chilling at a terminal, I ask them to come serve some arrest warrants with me, and they tell me “this job is a joke and I’ve got 11 months left on my two year commitment and I’m not gonna do anything and I’m gonna leave once my 24 months is up and go back to (insert whatever industry here)”.

Back to a civvy job or lateral to another agency? The LASO has them bugging out in droves, get trained, get paid, transfer to some small town where open containers are your only worry.

[deadcoyote]

There seems to be an influx of guys from civil jobs like road construction who just want to go back to it.