Los Gatos Weekly-Times Shortage of cops leaves police dept. struggling to fill vacant positions Attrition and injuries help contribute to the problem It's not just Los Gatos By Jeff Kearns The want ads are out statewide, the department is holding recruitment meetings and pay levels have been increased, but the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is still having trouble fielding a full team of officers. To help hire officers, the department recently formed a seven-member team to put together brochures and videos for the recruitment effort, and the Town Council was expected to approve a 5-percent raise at its meeting Nov. 2 that will become effective in December and include two more raises in 2000. With three cops having left the department for other cities, one recently retired, and three on the disabled list, the LG-MSPD has had to shuffle shifts to deal with a staff shortage that doesn't look like it can be quickly fixed. After several weeks of looking and interviewing, the department has only made one tentative offer to a prospective officer. Currently, Chief Larry Todd says, the department has only 35 officers on the street out of a total staff of 42. Todd switched the shifts on Sept. 6 from 8.5-hour shifts to 12.5-hour shifts--10 hours of which is at regular pay and 2.5 hours of overtime. Todd says that the number of officers on the street at any given time is "the same or higher" than it was previously. But, Todd notes, "They're going to start getting tired after a while." Town manager Dave Knapp says that the 12.5-hour shifts aren't as long as they sound. "Working four 10-hour shifts is as short as most officers have in the Bay Area, and a lot have 12-hour shifts anyway," he said. Knapp says neighboring San Jose--which recently hired two Los Gatos officers--is partially to blame, because it can lure away officers who are already trained with higher salaries and a wider variety of assignments. "Every now and then San Jose goes on a hiring rampage," Knapp said. "And they really court the surrounding areas." Todd says Los Gatos isn't the only small- to medium-sized city in the area facing a shortage. "All cities in the valley are having a hard time recruiting," he says. In addition to the two officers recruited by San Jose, one moved to Sacramento and another moved to South Carolina. Sgt. Mike Barbieri, who heads the investigations unit, says he's worried about the big picture. "I think law enforcement is in trouble," he says. "Twenty years ago, when I started, there would be 350 people taking the test for a position. You're lucky to get a handful today." Barbieri says that he has three of four spots filled in his investigative unit, but because hiring patrol officers is a higher priority, he doesn't think the shortage is going to be over soon. "I don't know if I'll ever be fully staffed in here," he said. The problem is compounded by the long screening and hiring process needed to bring new officers into the department, including an extensive background check, in-depth psychological profiling and interviewing friends, relatives and colleagues of every applicant. "The hiring process isn't an easy one," Todd said. "Police are the only people we give permission to take a human life without asking permission, so it's very strenuous." Sgt. Tam McCarty, who heads the new recruitment team, says the officers on the team were recently trained to perform background checks on applicants, a process that usually takes about four to six weeks. The team has also begun traveling around to police academies in the region--with pamphlets in hand. The department has been trying to recruit "lateral officers," or officers who have already been trained and have experience working in another department, and preservice officer candidates, who have already been through the police academy. The current situation isn't expected to impact the department budget, Todd says. Although officers are taking home more pay for their overtime work, the amount is much less than the cost of salary and benefits for four officers. Todd adds a final thought: Anyone interested in becoming a police officer in Los Gatos should call the department personnel office at 354-6821. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, November 4, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.