8/5/2024
TO: PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE
AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT
COMMITTEE
FROM: Paul Joseph
SUBJECT: Police Department
Recruitment and Hiring
Activity Annual Report
DATE: July 31, 2024
Approved Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the annual report on the Police Department (Department) sworn and communications personnel recruitment and hiring activity for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023- 2024, including recruiting climate, communication/marketing activities and analysis, qualified applicant pool diversity, resignation data, sworn demographic data by rank, and effectiveness of enhanced recruitment measures.
BACKGROUND
On December 1, 2015, as part of the review of the Police Department Hiring Audit, the City Council directed the Department to report to the Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee (PSFSS) on the Department’s recruitment and hiring efforts, beginning in spring 2016. This report is the sixth annual report covering FY 2023-2024.
The Police Department’s Recruiting Unit is dedicated to the recruitment and hiring of qualified sworn and communications staff. This report will outline the Recruiting Unit’s recruiting and hiring activities for FY 2023-2024 and will include analysis on the recruiting climate, an update on communications and marketing activities, and gender and ethnic diversity statistics for current sworn personnel as a whole and by rank, and that of qualified candidates.
ANALYSIS
A 2019 report from the Police Executive Research Forum stated, “The policing profession is facing a workforce crisis. Fewer people are applying to become police officers, and more people are leaving the profession, often after only a few years on the job.”
1 It went on to state, “Police agencies face no greater challenge today than 1 Police Executive Research Forum, The Workforce Crisis, and What Police Agencies Are Doing About It, (2019), https://www.policeforum.org/assets/WorkforceCrisis.pdf
PSFSS COMMITTEE AGENDA: 8/15/2024
ITEM: (d)2.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
July 31, 2024
Subject: Police Department Recruitment and Hiring Activity Annual Report
recruiting and retaining enough qualified officers…The harsh public scrutiny of policing in the current climate is a major reason for today’s staffing crisis.” 2 Despite the
challenges of this unfavorable climate, the Department experienced an upward trend in hiring numbers over FY 2023-2024.
The San José Police Department Recruiting Unit currently accepts Police Officer applications year-round. Three academy classes are held according to FY in October, February, and June. On February 21, 2023, Academy Class SJ46 began with 19 recruits and graduated 12 recruits. Academy Class SJ47 started on June 26, 2023, with 27 recruits and graduated 19 recruits. On October 16, 2023, SJ48 began with 30 recruits and graduated 24 recruits. The current senior Academy Class, SJ49, began on February 20, 2024, with 38 recruits and is currently at 24 recruits with a graduation date of September 13, 2024. The newest Academy Class, SJ50, started on June 24, 2024, with 34 recruits.
Staffing for officers within the Department fluctuates between authorized staffing numbers and the number of “street ready” officers. On June 28, 2024, the Department was budgeted for 1,173 sworn positions. There were 1,073 filled positions and 100 vacancies; however, not all of the filled positions are “street ready.” Of the 1,073 filled positions, 40 were in the Field Training Program, 58 were recruits in Academy Classes SJ49 and SJ50, 26 were on disability, 37 were on modified duty, and 26 officers were on other types of leave. Therefore, the total number of “street ready” officers as of June 28, 2024, was 886 officers.
There is an uptick in lateral and rehire interest in the Department. For FY 2023-2024, three lateral officers from other agencies and three lateral rehires rejoined the San José Police Department. As of July 22, 2024, there are 10 lateral officers still in the hiring process, including three rehires. By comparison, the Department hired four laterals during FY 2022-2023, two of which were rehires. During FY 2023-2024, the San José Police Department hired a total of 108 police recruits and laterals. Last fiscal year, 74 officers joined the Department, an increase of 46%. In comparison, hiring decreased by 32% from FY 2021-2022 to FY 2022-2023.
The total number of applications received during FY 2023-2024 was 2197 compared to 2223 applications received during the previous fiscal year. This is a decrease of 26 applications, which represents a 1% decrease overall. Application numbers are down significantly from FY 2017-2018 and FY 2018-2019 when the Department received 10,063 and 6,496 applications respectively, which coincides with Police Executive Research Forum’s declaration of a nationwide workforce crisis.
At a minimum, the Department needs to keep up with attrition, which can be difficult to project. For example, while the Department projected 101 sworn personnel would retire during FY 2023-2024, a total of 112 officers retired, resigned, were terminated, or resigned in lieu of termination. During FY 2021-2022, 139 officers retired, resigned, were terminated, or resigned in lieu of termination, while 47 officers were projected to retire.
2 Police Executive Research Forum, Responding to the Staffing Crisis: Innovations in Recruitment and Retention, (2023), https://www.policeforum.org/assets/RecruitmentRetention.pdf
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
July 31, 2024
Subject: Police Department Recruitment and Hiring Activity Annual Report
During FY 2023-2024, the Department instituted several updates to the testing process to increase the qualified candidate pool in FY 2024-2025. The physical agility test was converted to pass/fail, the run was reduced to one mile, and the solid fence climb was removed. Additionally, the Recruiting Unit implemented creative marketing strategies to increase hiring, including commercials aimed at youth, Cadets attending hiring events, a lateral incentive program, and providing free testing (written, physical, and oral board) for applicants. Additionally, the Unit placed recruitment signs at San José Mineta Airport, on the San José Giants outfield wall, and at PAL stadium.
The Recruiting Unit’s FY 2023-2024 budget allocation was $2.574 million, with expenditures and commitments for the year totaling $2.927 million as of May 31, 2024.
One of the primary cost drivers for the Recruiting Unit was overtime. The allotted overtime budget was $485,262, and the actual amount spent was $804,773, which is $319,511 over budget. The Recruiting Unit exceeded its FY 2022-2023 overtime budget by $372,666. Overtime costs are high mainly due to the recruiting events personnel must attend. Most of these events are on weekends and/or in the evening on weekdays.
Often, there are two events at the same time at different locations which require additional staff, such as satellite recruiters.
During FY 2023-2024, general and overtime expenses funded several in-person and virtual recruiting events at career and job fairs, colleges and universities, military bases, unaffiliated police academies, and outside POST (Police Officers Standards and Training) testing sites. Overtime funding allowed the Recruiting Unit to conduct physical agility and written testing, Oral Board preparation classes, Communications Division information sessions, sworn Oral Board testing, and fitness series sessions. The Recruiting Unit will continue to seek funding remedies for FY 2024-2025 to maintain billboards, youth advertising (TV/Banner ads at PAL, for example), and other local/statewide projects that have increased applications submitted.
The Department strives for diverse ethnic recruitment, which mirrors and potentially exceeds the ethnic makeup of the city. The following chart provides the breakdown of the self-reported ethnicities of the last three Police Academy classes:
SJ48 SJ49 SJ50
Asian 12 12 N/A
Black or African
American
N/A N/A
Hispanic or Latino 16 19 21
Native Hawaiian or
Pacific Islander
N/A
White 10 N/A N/A
TOTALS 38* 37* 30*
*Participants are allowed to make multiple choices. Values of more than 0 but less than 10 are listed as N/A for privacy purposes.
Source: San José Police Recruiting Unit – Survey Monkey
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
July 31, 2024
Subject: Police Department Recruitment and Hiring Activity Annual Report
As of June 28, 2024, each rank within the Department was made up of the following self-reported ethnicities:
Officer Sergeant Lieutenant and above
American Indian N/A
Asian 97 25 N/A
Black or African
American
21 N/A N/A
Hispanic or Latino 165 40 19
Native Hawaiian/
Pacific IslanderI
N/A
White 210 88 24
Non-Specified 292 10 N/A
TOTALS 791 169 55
Values of more than 0 but less than 10 are listed as N/A for privacy purposes.
The following is the ethnic breakdown for the Department’s sworn members: 12% Asian, 22% Hispanic or Latino, 32% White, 3% African American, and 31% other/not specified.
Officer Sergeant Lieutenant and above
FEMALE 118 11 N/A
MALE 673 158 48
TOTALS 791 169 55
Values of more than 0 but less than 10 are listed as N/A for privacy purposes.
As of June 28, 2024, the San José Police Department was 86.6% male and 13.4% female. Hiring more women remains a priority for the Department. During FY 2023- 2024, the Department joined the 30 by 30 initiative, pledging to increase female representation in the academy to 30% by 2030. To work towards this goal, the Recruiting Unit hosts a weekly fitness event designed to assist female applicants in successfully completing the physical agility test. In November 2022, a female officer was assigned to the Recruiting Unit, bringing a lived experience perspective to the work.
During several recruiting events, potential female applicants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to speak with a female recruiting officer. This female recruiter also mentors current female recruits in academies to ensure extra support. The Department also produced and posted several videos and social media ads highlighting female officers. In August 2023, The Recruiting Unit hosted a Women in Law Enforcement event. The Recruiting Unit will hold another Women in Law Enforcement Event in October 2024. This event will give potential and future applicants the ability to meet the Department’s female personnel of all ranks and divisions, learn about the testing process, practice the physical agility test, attend a panel, and ask questions.
Recruitment efforts for Communications Division staff are critical and remain a high priority for the Department. FY 2023-2024 was a successful year for Communications recruitment when compared to the two previous fiscal years. During FY 2023-2024, the Communications Division received 958 applications, an increase of 11% from the previous fiscal year and an increase of 56% from the two previous fiscal years.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
July 31, 2024
Subject: Police Department Recruitment and Hiring Activity Annual Report
During FY 2024-2025, Communications Division recruiters will continue previous recruiting strategies and attend Department recruitment events. Recruiters will visit local high schools and community colleges, post recruitment flyers, meet with students, and coordinate with instructors to speak during class periods. Recruiters will supply information about the Communications Specialist and Radio Dispatcher positions, including job duties, minimum requirements, salary and benefits, application instructions, and FAQs.
Conclusion
In the coming year, the Department and Recruiting Unit will continue efforts to increase recruitment of qualified candidates. Personnel will engage applicants and offer insights into the Department’s operations and the significant value of careers as police officers, call takers, dispatchers, and other Department positions. Furthermore, personnel will emphasize the fulfillment that comes from serving the public.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office.
Paul Joseph
Acting Chief of Police
For questions, please contact Recruiting Unit Lieutenant Mike Bui at [email protected] or (408) 277-4951.