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CMPD still short roughly 180 officers, looking to attract millennials

By Mark Barber
By Mark Barber

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers who are trying to keep the city safe are working in ranks that are stretched thin.

Charlotte City Council hoped that a pay raise in 2018 would help with recruitment and retention, but Channel 9 discovered the department is still short more than 180 officers -- and leadership is feeling the pressure.

[CMPD chief optimistic on officer recruitment: 'We're turning the corner']

"We're about 180 down,” Capt. Dave Johnson explained. “We're hiring officers all the time, we're taking applications monthly now."

When Channel 9 interviewed Johnson last spring, the department was short 200 officers.

[LEARN MORE: Want to join CMPD?]

While CMPD has tried to close the gap, Johnson said the situation is still critical.

“We have to have folks who are willing and able to put their lives on the line if necessary," he said.

One reason CMPD is short-staffed is that many officers have already left for higher paying departments.

Johnson said that really isn't a problem anymore because officers received a pay raise, as well as a $2,500 bonus for living within city limits.

"We tripled the number of lateral transfer officers we brought in, from 17 to 51," he said.

Now, the department is just trying to keep up with the high number of officers who are retiring.

In an attempt to attract new recruits, CMPD is going to roll out a new $100,000 digital advertising push this spring. The department is also planning to ramp up ads on Facebook and Instagram and boost its appearances on Google searches.

Channel 9's Mark Barber asked Johnson if the department was going after millennials.

"Absolutely, yeah," he answered. "We're going to be on Facebook Live and going to job fairs up and down the East Coast scouring and looking under every bush we can to try to find the right people for our department."

Past coverage:

CMPD needs to reach everyone it can because the recruitment process is highly selective. Last year, 3,155 people applied but only 156 were hired.

Those hiring numbers are an improvement compared to 2017 when 2,524 people applied and 127 were hired.

When new officers are hired, it can take up to a year and a half before they're ready to start patrolling, so every recruit and every minute matters.

Lateral hires are able to start patrolling much quicker and the department has recently hired officers with previous experience from NYPD and LAPD.

Since CMPD is still currently short officers, Channel 9 asked if that is affecting response times or calls for help on the street. Johnson said residents don't need to worry, though.

"We're going to do our job. We're going to staff our shifts appropriately. We're going to make sure we have officers answering 911 calls," he said.

The department is taking applications during the first 10 days of every month. If interested, you can apply here.

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