(CALIFORNIA) — A United Airlines pilot has adopted a dog that had been left at San Francisco International Airport by a traveler this fall, according to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals .
United Airlines Capt. William Dale and his family welcomed Polaris the dog into their home this month. To celebrate, the airline teamed up with the San Francisco SPCA to throw an adoption party for the pup, whose name means the North Star and is also the name of the airline’s business class offering.
“From the moment Polaris landed in our care, our entire SFO United team cared for him 24/7 until we were able to get permission to keep him safely in the U.S.,” Vincent Passafiume, a director of customer service for United Airlines, said in a statement. “It’s a great feeling to see this story come full circle and that Polaris will have a loving home with United Airlines Captain Dale and his family — just in time for the holidays.”
For the celebration, Polaris was dressed in a red Santa coat as he posed confidently for photos while he was showered with pets.
In addition to seeing Polaris off to his new home, United Airlines announced the company was making a $5,000 donation to the San Francisco SPCA to support its mission of advocating and caring for homeless, injured or sick animals.
In a statement, Lisa Feder, the chief of rescue and welfare at the San Francisco SPCA, expressed gratitude for the donation, saying, “We were honored that United called the SF SPCA to facilitate this adoption because of our knowledge and expertise in adoptions, as well as nearly 155 years of offering care and protection to pets.”
Editor’s note: This was originally published on Dec. 26, 2022.
(UVALDE, Texas) — The Texas Department of Public Safety on Thursday released a pair of videos depicting an altercation between one of its troopers and a visibly anguished mother of one of the students who died in last year’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, after an edited version of the dispute erupted on social media earlier this week.
The incident, which happened on Wednesday during a student-led walkout in protest of gun violence, reflects a distraught community’s simmering distrust of law enforcement after officers waited 77 minutes to confront the gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022.
By sharing the video publicly, law enforcement officials said they hope the additional context and transparency will help mend divisions between police and the community they are tasked to protect.
A video shared late Wednesday on social media begins with Ana Rodriguez, whose 10-year-old daughter Maite was among those killed in the rampage at Robb Elementary School, attempting to enter the elementary school to retrieve her son.
After a student inside the building opens the door, Rodriguez enters — but is immediately confronted by a Texas state trooper, who physically forces her out of the school.
“When your daughter is murdered on school grounds, then you talk to me sir,” Rodriguez tells the trooper.
The video quickly ricocheted across social media, overwhelmingly attracting sympathy for Rodriguez and generating outrage toward at the trooper. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez slammed the trooper’s conduct and called for a probe.
“I am demanding a full investigation of this incident, with bodycam footage to be released immediately,” Gutierrez tweeted. “This is a disgrace and is no way to treat a grieving family.”
By Thursday afternoon, the Texas Department of Publican safety had fulfilled Gutierrez’ request. Officials released an 11-minute clip from the trooper’s body-worn camera and a seven-minute video taken from a hallway surveillance camera, and a department spokesperson said they were looking into the matter.
The two videos show the moments leading up to the physical altercation. Rodriguez is first seen in the hallway of the school shouting at the trooper — although the trooper’s camera initially does not record any audio of the interaction.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, the trooper who confronted Rodriguez said that Rodriguez initially complied with his orders to check in with a secretary, pursuant to school protocol — but then “attempted to make her way into the auditorium and began yelling loudly, yelling ‘Walk-out’ several times.”
According to the body-worn camera, the officer then placed his hand on Rodriguez’ back and led her toward an exit. Rodriguez can then be heard banging on the door from outside, in an apparent attempt to get back in.
When another parent waiting for their child opens the door for Rodriguez, the trooper returns to the entryway, grabs Rodriguez around the arms and shoulders, and physically forces her back outside.
A moment later, the trooper returned to the doorway and allowed Rodriguez into a nearby office, where Rodriguez again presented her identification to the secretary and asked to retrieve her son. While she waited for her son, the trooper approached her and asked, “Can I please talk with you?”
“No, you may not,” Rodriguez replied. “You wouldn’t understand. Was your daughter shot up? No she was not f—ing shot! So this means something to me. It means something to me for my son to be able to protest.”
The Uvalde School District did not respond to comment about the incident, but a spokesperson released a statement saying the larger walk-out was an unsafe demonstration.
Hundreds of students throughout the district participated in the walk-out on Wednesday, marching to the memorial in the Uvalde town square and waiting 77 minutes, the length of time it took police to subdue the gunman during the attack last May.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Education on Thursday announced a proposed change to Title IX to prohibit categorical bans on transgender student athletes.
If adopted as a rule, the change would make it illegal for schools or universities to bar transgender student athletes from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identities “just because of who they are,” the department wrote.
While the change would make “one-size-fits-all” prohibitions a violation of Title IX, it would still give schools discretion to develop eligibility rules for sports teams that could ultimately restrict a transgender athlete’s ability to participate.
A senior department administration official said if a school assessed there was a need to limit transgender athletes for the purpose of fairness in competition, safety or other educational interests, it “could identify what basis it was using to do that and why.”
“The proposed regulation would give schools flexibility to identify their own important educational objectives,” the official said. “They might include, for example, fairness and competition, or preventing sports related injuries.”
When asked Thursday how the administration will implement the rule in states that have already passed bans on transgender girls, the official said the government will be “eager” to enforce it throughout the country without providing details.
“The federal civil rights law is the law of the land and we would be eager to ensure its full satisfaction in every school community around the country,” the official said.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona applauded the proposal as a move that will benefit students’ health.
“Every student should be able to have the full experience of attending school in America, including participating in athletics, free from discrimination. Being on a sports team is an important part of the school experience for students of all ages,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Beyond all the benefits to physical and mental health, playing on a team teaches students how to work hard, get along with others, believe in themselves, and build healthy habits that last a lifetime.”
The American Federation of Teachers also celebrated the announcement, saying the change would protect transgender students from politically motivated blanket bans.
But the proposal was met with criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill. Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that the suggested change is “anti-women,” adding, “Protecting women’s sports is essential.”
Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who sits on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, also criticized the proposed change.
“As a father of three girls who all play sports, I’m outraged that the Biden administration wants to force them to compete against biological males,” told ABC News.
“This is scientifically and morally wrong and a slap in the face to girls and women across the country,” he said.
The announcement comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision in favor of a 12-year-old transgender girl and her parents who challenged a West Virginia law that would impose such a ban.
Twenty states have passed laws banning transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identities, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a gender equality-focused nonprofit think tank.
(EVERMAN, Texas) — The search for a missing 6-year-old Texas boy who hasn’t been seen since October is now a death investigation, police said Thursday, while vowing to find his body.
Texas authorities issued an endangered missing person alert late last month for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez of Everman, a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
After conducting interviews with families and investigating stories they believe his mother allegedly told to cover for his disappearance, including that she had sold him, “it has led to a very unfortunate, unimaginable, devastating conclusion that Noel is likely deceased,” Everman Police Chief C.W. Spencer said at a press briefing Thursday.
Noel was last seen alive around the birth of his twin sisters in October, “appearing unhealthy and malnourished,” according to Spencer. In early November, his mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, applied for passports for all of her children except for Noel, the police chief said.
Around that time, Rodriguez-Singh “began trying to explain the disappearance of Noel … through various stories,” including reportedly telling people he was with his biological father in Mexico, with his aunt in Mexico or that Noel was sold to another woman in a Fiesta Market parking lot, Spencer said.
“Investigators have been able to disprove each one of these stories,” Spencer said.
Family members reportedly told police that Rodriguez-Singh was abusive and neglectful toward Noel, including allegedly withholding food and water “often” and on one occasion striking him in the face with a set of keys, Spencer said. She also “referred to him as evil, possessed or having a demon in him,” the police chief said.
Rodriguez-Singh, her husband Arshdeep Singh and her six other children are currently in India, Spencer said. Warrants have been issued for the couple’s arrest on the felony charge of abandoning and endangering a child, according to the police chief.
“We want these fugitives arrested and extradited back to the United States so we can seek answers for the disappearance of Noel,” Spencer said.
Investigators are now conducting recovery operations and organized searches to find Noel’s body, the chief said.
“Nobody is more committed, more determined or more eager to locate Noel than this investigative team,” Spencer said.
(BALTIMORE, Md.) — More than 150 priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore are accused of sexually abusing more than 600 children in a newly released report from Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown.
The report, which examined thousands of documents dating back to the 1940s, states that the number of abused children is “likely far higher” than 600.
“The sheer number of abusers and victims, the depravity of the abusers’ conduct, and the frequency with which known abusers were given the opportunity to continue preying upon children are astonishing,” read the report.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the oldest diocese in the United States, established in 1789.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General began its investigation in 2018, seeking not only instances of abuse, but also the effort by leadership to cover up the illegal behavior.
“While every victim’s story is unique, together they reveal themes and behaviors typical of adults who sexually abuse children, and of those who enable abuse by concealing it,” read the report. “What was consistent throughout was the absolute authority and power these abusive priests and church leadership held over victims, their families and their communities.”
The 463-page report offers detailed accounts of the abuse, as well as the impact that abuse had on victims – some of whom faced substance abuse, depression, anxiety, attempted suicide and other mental health conditions and challenges in the years after.
The report accuses Archdiocese leaders of dismissing reports of abuse, exhibiting “little to no concern for victims,” and failing to “adequately investigate complaints.”
Archbishop William E. Lori apologized to survivors for the “harm caused” by the Church in response to the report. He said the report captures a period in the Archdiocese’s past “when our response to such allegations was woefully inadequate.”
“We hear you. We believe you and your courageous voices have made a difference,” an April 5 statement read.
Lori said he met with victim-survivors on his first day as Archbishop, and argues the Church is working to ensure “transparency and accountability” in responding to reports of abuse.
He continued, “Through difficult, although deeply meaningful, meetings, I have experienced your brave witness, and the power of your words and testimony compel my personal conviction to ensure we do everything possible to prevent future incidents of abuse and promote healing for survivors.”
The attorney general’s office recommends that the state amend the statute of limitations for civil actions involving child sex abuse, as studies have shown that more than half of child sex abuse victims don’t report until they are over age 50. In Maryland, the statute of limitations for a civil action is three years from the date of the harm, according to the Maryland General Assembly.
“Because Maryland recognizes a statute of limitations defense in civil cases – a defense that the Archdiocese consistently chooses to rely upon – victims have no recourse if they are over the age of 38,” the report read. “Yet many victims have suffered lifelong effects from the harm perpetrated on them by the Church.”
Legislation headed to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk would eliminate Maryland’s civil statute of limitations for such lawsuits concerning damages for child sexual abuse victims.
The agency also recommended the expansion of public accountability for those who commit an act of child abuse.
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.
(SAN FRANCISCO) — A day after Cash App Founder Bob Lee was killed in San Francisco, a customer walked into a cafe blocks away from the crime scene and began to cry.
“She was looking at our pastry case and I did my normal, ‘Hey how is it going?'” Tommy Balcom, an employee at Philz Coffee, told ABC News. “I haven’t seen that look in anybody’s eyes, ever — someone with so much grief.”
The customer, who said she had been a close friend of Lee’s, asked Balcom: “‘Can you let me know everything will be OK?'” he said. “I said, ‘Of course, what can I do to help?’ I had no idea what she was talking about.'”
Balcom soon learned about Lee, who died of “apparent stab wounds” sustained early Tuesday morning in the San Francisco neighborhood of Rincon Hill, the San Francisco Police Department said.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Wednesday described the killing of Lee as “horrific.”
The murder has brought moments of shared grief and fueled discussion of safety among some in the relatively well-off neighborhood where the crime took place, according to interviews with workers at nearby businesses.
Some local employees said the incident underscores an ongoing sense of threat while others said they feel secure despite the harrowing news.
“Everybody’s talking about it,” Sam Habash, who has worked at nearby Gabby Market and Deli for 16 years, told ABC News. “They’re so sorry for his death.”
Habash, who said he usually works a nighttime shift from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., said he feels “very safe” in the area even after the crime.
Echoing that sentiment, Balcom said he considers the area “relatively safe,” but added that the killing had brought an “air of concern.”
“You have people talking about carrying pepper spray and which pepper spray is the best,” Balcom said.
In a statement on Wednesday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said, “There is no place for this kind of violent crime against anyone in our city. I want to assure everyone that our investigators are working tirelessly to make an arrest and bring justice to Mr. Lee and his loved ones, just as we try to do on every homicide that occurs in our city.”
Overall, crime in San Francisco is down 9.7% this year compared to last year, but homicides are up 20%, robberies are up 13.6% and assaults are up 2.2%, San Francisco crime data shows.
Police responded to a report of a stabbing early Tuesday, around 2:35 a.m., and found a 43-year-old man suffering from stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said.
Officers called for medics, who transported the victim to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, the police report said, adding that the victim ultimately died from the injuries.
Police confirmed Lee’s identity in a statement late Wednesday.
Jasmin Tejeda, an employee at Woodlands Pet Shop, a store blocks from the crime scene, lives in the area with her father.
“We thought it was going to be a safe neighborhood,” she said.
However, three or four times each month Tejeda encounters people in the store who are homeless or appear to have used drugs, she said.
“There are incidents where people come in and you have to deal with them,” she said.
The killing of Lee reminded Tejeda of why she prefers to work during the day, she added.
“I personally don’t feel comfortable doing closing shifts, just because I know these kinds of things happen,” she said.
Still, most residents appeared to downplay the threat of violence.
Eloy Garcia, a general manager at a nearby restaurant called Prospect, told ABC News that the tragic incident is an outlier.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation,” he said. “But overall it still feels relatively safe compared to other big cities.”
On Tuesday, the day of the murder, the environment at the restaurant was “business as usual,” he said.
“We have residents that live in the area and come here regularly — they were a little shocked,” he said. “But really it was a normal day for us.”
Balcom, of Philz Coffee, said the incident had evinced a “communal effect” of mutual support.
As a gesture of goodwill toward the customer who had entered the store crying, Balcom gave her a free coffee, he said.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Nashville, Tennessee, Mayor John Cooper publicly called on lawmakers to pass an extreme risk protection law and take action on gun safety one week after a shooter killed six people at a local private school.
Tennessee has “some of the weakest gun laws in the country,” and the state needs to do a better job of keeping guns away from people at risk, Cooper said during a press conference Thursday. According to Cooper, the loosening of gun laws has contributed to an increase in gun violence, in addition to a rise in the number of guns stolen, particularly from car break-ins.
“The answer to too many guns just can’t be more guns,” Cooper said.
While there are several safety measures in place at schools, such as student resource officers for protection, that cannot be the whole solution, Cooper said. He called it “unacceptable” that parents, students and teachers go to school with fear for their safety.
“They all deserve answers as how do we improve to have a safer society? And it’s a shocking thing that our schools have to spend all this time not on instruction, but on safety drills. That’s not something that we should accept and Republican lawmakers need to be part of the answer,” he said.
The extreme risk protection law Cooper is calling for would keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis. Nineteen states have extreme risk protection laws on the books. While the specifics of the laws differ by state, they allow law enforcement and/or families to ask a judge to remove guns from people posing a risk to themselves or others.
“These kinds of extreme risk laws, often known as red flag laws, would have likely prevented or affected the last three mass shootings here in Nashville. That’s remarkable. One is Covenant School last week, one at the Waffle House in 2018 and one at Burnett Chapel Church of Christ in 2017,” Cooper said.
All three shooters had exhibited warning signs leading up to the shooting.
“I’ve spent several of the most recent days attending funerals, and these are memorials that should not be happening as often as they do in the United States. The murder weapons that stole six lives from us were legally purchased here and so were multiple other guns that the assailant had been stockpiling,” Cooper said.
The shooter at The Covenant School, a former student identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, allegedly planned the shooting for months.
Hale was armed with two assault-style rifles, a handgun and “significant ammunition” at the time of the attack, according to police. Authorities said Hale owned seven legally purchased guns from five different local stores. She fired 152 rounds during the March 27 shooting.
Hale had exhibited warning signs for dangerous behavior and was known to be a firearm owner, according to police.
“In the months leading up to the tragedy, the shooter was extremely disturbed, and her loved ones knew it. Her parents didn’t think she was stable enough to own guns and her friends were worried about the messages she was sending them,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said during the press conference.
“Now, obviously, there are no guarantees in life, but if Tennessee had an extreme risk law, family members and friends could have turned their fears into action,” Feinblatt said.
After the shooting, Republican Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally indicated they would support some gun safety measures, including laws that would keep guns away from people who pose a risk to themselves or others, according to local outlet The Tennessean.
The governor also proposed $140 million in funds for more school resource officers and guards, as well as an increase in mental health liaisons.
Cooper said he is “cautiously optimistic” that Tennessee lawmakers could pass an extreme risk protection law due to the support from senior leadership. Senior state leadership on both sides of the isle have indicated they support red flag laws, creating a path for such legislation, according to Cooper.
“We have to turn our grief into action. We have to honor those precious lives stolen from us and work together to do a better, safer future for all of us,” Cooper said. “And that’s a future that does not repeat last week’s events.”
“There has to be a better answer than no answer. Just silence on the subject is not acceptable to the public,” Cooper added.
(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Four Harvard University students were awakened by armed officers in their dorm rooms after a fake 911 call about a person with a “gun threatening violence” sent officers searching for the risk, according to students and public police logs.
“Things like that typically don’t end well for people who look like us,” student Jarah Cotton, who is Black and was in the dorm when it was raided, said in an interview with ABC News. “We thought we were going to die.”
Cotton, a senior at Harvard, said she was “jolted awake” by intense banging on one of the doors of her suite around 4 a.m. Monday morning.
According to the public police log, officers entered and searched the room, failing to find anyone with a firearm or someone acting suspicious. Officers reported they found no threat.
“I saw them in riot gear and like, they had their assault rifles and all that kind of stuff,” Cotton told ABC News.
Students were evacuated from their rooms as officials prepared to search them, Cotton said.
“We’re walking out, everybody’s like barefoot and pajamas, you know, frazzled,” said Cotton. “As Black students, we’ve all been taught that you do not argue with the police.”
She continued, “And we’re walking out with our hands up … we still don’t know what’s going on. So all that’s going through my mind is: I haven’t done anything. I’m sure none of my roommates have done anything to warrant this.”
According to Cotton, when officers failed to find anything wrong in the dorm suite, they explained that a series of phone calls were made to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) relaying very specific details about a hostage situation and gun threat in their suite.
HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalan confirmed that officers told students what was happening in an interview with The Harvard Crimson, a student newspaper at the university.
Massachusetts officials have seen a wave of hoax calls early this year, with threats shutting down K-12 schools and now impacting Harvard.
Faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement is what the FBI calls “swatting,” and it can be dangerous for both first responders and the victims because of the high-intensity and high-risk situations, officials said.
HUPD and Harvard University officials could not be reached by ABC News following multiple requests for comment.
(TEXAS) — As Miah Cerrillo and Khloie Torres made their way to the stage at the Galveston Island Ballroom in Galveston Texas, the entire convention erupted in a standing ovation.
The two 11-year-old students—who called 911 during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas—were honored with the Kid Hero Award at the 2023 Texas Public Safety Conference in Galveston, Texas. The event is set up by the Texas chapters of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO).
The award comes nearly a year after 19 children and two teachers were shot to death by an 18-year-old former Robb Elementary student, who attacked the school on May 24, 2022. Cerrillo and Torres placed calls to police from inside classroom 112, where the gunman killed their friends and teachers.
Cindy McCraw, Texas NENA President, told ABC News that the Kid Hero Award is typically given to a single child, but an exception was made this year to recognize both Cerrillo and Torres.
“This was so important that I felt that both girls needed to be nominated,” she said.
McCraw said that by taking action to call 911 during the shooting, Cerrillo and Torres didn’t just save themselves, they also saved other lives.
“The fact that they even remembered to call 911, that’s a big deal,” she said. “They could have frozen, they could have waited until everything was done and then called, or just waited for somebody to come, and they just didn’t freeze, they acted, and that right there is heroic.”
Abigale Veloz, Cerrillo’s mother, said she felt emotional about the recognition her daughter received.
“As Miah’s mother, I feel very proud, she’s a strong person, awesome daughter and a wonderful sister,” she said. “She will forever be my miracle baby. She has fought for her life her whole life since she was born, and she will continue. The good thing is that she does not fight alone, she has her whole family to fight with her and protect her.”
Parts of the 911 audio in which Torres is heard, were broadcast by ABC News in February with permission from her parents. In the audio, Torres urges the 911 operator to send police into the classroom.
“Please hurry, there’s a lot of dead bodies,” Torres said in the 911 call. “Please, I’m going to die.”
McCraw, who heard the 911 calls, emphasized their emotional impact.
“Listening to it just gives you chills, the whole thing is devastating,” McCraw said. “I’ve been doing this for 22 years and I’ve listened to a lot of audio throughout the years of active shooters, kid callers and different horrible things that have been called in and recorded, but it’s still very emotional.”
Moments before the awards ceremony, McCraw coordinated a meeting between the two survivors and the 911 dispatcher who was on the phone with them that day. The meeting, which was private, was a profound experience for the girls and their families.
“They seemed to appreciate the chance to meet, and I can only hope that it has provided them with the closure they needed,” McCraw said.
McCraw hopes it helps everyone involved.
“I just didn’t want that to be a void forever, it brings closure to both parties,” McCraw said. “The girls will never wonder what the person on the other line looks like, and hopefully that fills that void and brings closure to them as they go through their healing process.”
(NEW YORK) — Police departments across the country are facing a “vicious cycle” of retirements, resignations, and fewer hires, according to policing experts, leaving the communities they protect with understaffed departments and potentially underqualified officers.
A survey released on April 1 from the Police Executive Research Forum of 182 law enforcement agencies indicated that while police departments are recruiting more officers compared to a 2020 decrease, departments have seen 47% more resignations and 19% more retirements in 2022 compared to 2019.
“There’s a vicious cycle of it getting worse,” John Jay professor and former police officer Peter Moskos said.
Law enforcement experts expressed concern that due to increased challenges in recruiting fresh candidates and spiking rates of retirements and resignations, departments cannot hire and train enough officers to make up for the departing officers. The staffing crunch may leave departments with fewer candidates, less qualified candidates, and fewer officers on call to respond to emergencies.
“If you don’t have enough cops, at some point, you’re going to have an active shooter situation where police response is critical, and getting there a minute later could cost you 20 or 50 lives,” PERF executive director Chuck Wexler said.
Multiple experts attribute the recruiting challenge – that fewer people are willing to be police officers in 2023 – to increased external scrutiny and reputational harm to the overall profession. Some note that the lack of job flexibility, demanding hours, and the need to work on holidays (especially for junior officers) contribute to the crisis.
“Media coverage has led many young people to view police differently than their parents’ generation may have,” International Association of Chiefs of Police president John Letteney said. “And a lot of officers think their job has gotten more difficult since high profile use of force incidents.”
While the scrutiny lessens the total number of potential officers, the disincentive to pursue law enforcement due to that scrutiny can create a net positive by limiting the applicant pool to candidates who would be willing to approach the modern challenges of policing.
“I’ve told myself countless times that I would rather have a vacant position than put the wrong person wearing a police officer’s uniform and badge,” Letteney added.
According to Yale Law professor James Forman, departments could serve their communities best if they took an active approach to community policing rather than recruiting officers who desire to engage in a “heavy-handed aggressive policing” that makes excessive force and brutality “inevitable.”
“[Police departments] have to send the message from the beginning of the kind of policing that they want in their community — that they are looking for people who want to be community caretakers they want, they are looking for people that want to help communities grow and thrive,” he said.
Regardless of the larger goals, the current market for law enforcement officers does not appear to satisfy the hiring demand.
A survey of police departments from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, conducted in 2019 before the availability of officers worsened, found that 78% of agencies reported issues recruiting qualified candidates. Fifty percent of agencies changed their internal policies to gain qualified candidates, and 25% said they eliminated services, units, or positions due to the inability to staff their departments adequately.
The persistent demand for officers and limited pool of qualified candidates can create a bidding war between departments, often leading to the wealthiest departments winning out.
That cost dilemma creates a concern for East Cleveland chief of police Brian Gerhard, who does not want his police force to become a “second-chance department.”
Prosecutors indicted 10 active-duty officers over the last three years, as well as the former police chief, leaving Gerhard’s department with 30 officers. He wants to have 50 quality officers, though his city’s charter permits up to 72 officers.
When asked about the bodycam video of officers abusing and assaulting residents circulated in the media and online, Gerhard admitted, “It looks horrible, period;” however, he said he is committed to “rebuilding” his department. Case in point, Gerhard told ABC News that he wants to hire capable and qualified recruits, not more attainable officers seeking a “second chance” after leaving or being fired by other departments. Financial considerations make this goal challenging, if not time-consuming.
Two of Gerhard’s recent hires left the East Cleveland Police Department after less than a year for higher-paying jobs. He noted that he’s limited to paying $17.27 an hour, though it is set to increase to $19.19 an hour.
Regardless of the pay hike, Gerhard was assured, “They’re gonna make substantially more money than we have.”
For example, the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., began offering $20,000 signing bonuses for new officers in 2023.
“There’s also a dual-edged sword of signing bonuses and better pay like you want to be able to recruit to have some parity, but you don’t want people becoming cops just for the signing bonus,” Moskos said.
Departments like suburban New York’s Nassau County Police Department boasts an average salary for officers after nine years of $121,659, an enticing offer to pull successful officers from the New York Police Department.
Poaching efforts from wealthier departments can also damage police forces by pulling officers from their jobs just as evidence suggests they become fully effective after five to seven years of service, according to Letteney. Moskos added that these wealthier departments also have the luxury of hiring applicants with clean records while leaving behind potentially problematic officers.
All of these factors create an overall challenging environment for departments to be able to recruit with an eye towards reform or even retain their ranks.
“If you walk into a room of police officers, or chiefs, and they’re really being honest with you, say, ‘How many of you would like your kids to be cops,’ very few will raise their hands,” Letteney said.
