'It's not just local': Law enforcement faces hiring challenges, mirroring national trend

Law enforcement agencies across Southwest Florida are facing critical shortages that mirror a national trend caused by the George Floyd protests in 2020, but appear to be making up ground by mid-year.

"There's a shortage, but it's not just local, this national," said David Thomas, a professor of forensic studies at Florida Gulf Coast University and retired police officer. "Everybody's having a difficult time with hiring people."

And once they are on board, keeping them can be a struggle when low wages, public perception and stress divert from the job.

Sgt. Domonic Zammit, a field training supervisor at Fort Myers Police, said sometimes those walking into the academy aren't ready for the stress the job carries.

"Sometimes we step into a field that we're not ready for, and sometimes we may lose people in the process," Zammit said. "They just don't understand quite what the impact is on the lifestyle and the stresses that come with being a law enforcement officer."

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Southwest Florida law enforcement agencies have had as many as one in every six positions open at one point this year.

Sanibel Island, the region's smallest department, counts 30 officers as a full staff, and had five openings by Feb. 1, with one opening six months later. The largest, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, has approximately 1,600 deputies. By Aug. 1, they didn't post any entry-level deputy openings.

Despite Sanibel being the smallest department, it's the Fort Myers Police Department that pays the least: $52,000 for entry-level officers.

"There's tons of jobs in every field and there doesn't seem to be any takers," said Thomas, who retired from the Gainesville Police Department in 1998.

Thomas explained that since the 2020 murder of George Floyd, policing has been adversely impacted.

Floyd, 46, died May 25, 2020, after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck, as Floyd, who is Black, repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.

"I live in Gainesville, so when I used to teach at the police academy years ago, we'd have a recruit class," Thomas said, adding that the average size of a recruit class was about 45 and there was always a waiting list.

Now, they're lucky to get 20 people or 15 people on academy waitlists, Thomas said.

"There's a struggle, because people just don't want to be in this profession anymore," he said. "Salary has always been horrible."

Salaries continue to be an issue

Thomas said some law enforcement officers often work side jobs to make ends meet. For others, it means searching in other industries, giving up on their badge and gun.

"I had guys that I worked with that were in construction or they had special skill sets," Thomas said. "And as a result of that, they use those. That was how they made their extra money."

Thomas said often salaries don't match the cost of living in the different jurisdictions — Southwest Florida has some of the highest costs of living in the country.

For perspective, Thomas said, his starting salary in 1978 was $15,048.

"When I retired, my salary was $42,000 a year and 25 years ago," Thomas said.

The starting salary at his former employer, the Gainesville Police Department, is now $47,000, Thomas said. The average wage in Fort Myers is $44,777, while in Naples, it's $47,000, with entry-level officers starting a little above average in some departments.

He added that salaries have historically been a concern in law enforcement.

"Things have to change," Thomas said.

Thomas said despite the government working to raise the pay rate, the "cycle" continues since Floyd's slaying.

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Thomas said minority communities have been complaining about police brutality for years.

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"You have over 700,000 law enforcement officers in this country," Thomas said. "So it's a very small percentage, but that small percentage just ruins it for everybody."

Thomas said a lot of candidates are weeded out during background checks, many through psychological exams.

"In the old days ... I can't speak for today ... But I know on average, we would lose about 20% of those new hires that we brought in," Thomas said. "We would lose them in the field training program because it was just too much or they didn't fit."

Thomas said the greatest failure in policing is that it has failed to learn from its mistakes.

"Until that happens and they're willing to weed out those guys and gals who are bad apples, who gave the profession a bad name, until they do that, this will continue to be a problem," Thomas said.

Loss of a personal connection to communities

In the 1980s and early 1990s, police departments had gotten in touch with the residents they served through community policing, which was funded by the federal government, Thomas said.

Thomas said that all came to a close after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"The mission changed for policing, and terrorism or response to terrorism became part of that mission," Thomas said. "So all of the money that we used to spend on community policing and working with communities ... That money went away, and it went into equipment that you needed to respond to terrorism and training for terrorism."

For policing to be effective, and for it to move forward, he said, it has got to go back to those partnerships and establish the trust needed to help solve cases.

Public service runs in the veins of this officer in field training

A new recruit, Officer Ian McMillion, is the son of Fort Myers Fire Chief Tracy McMillion, the nephew of a law enforcement officer at the FBI and the grandson to a New York Police Department retiree.

"I always had a passion to go into public service," Ian McMillion said. "It just means a lot to continue that tradition for our family as we keep on going."

McMillion said, he's learning there's far more to the job than just carrying a badge and a gun.

"Report writing is easily the most important thing on the job to just get a good base writing reports," he said. "Everybody wants to run a gun and chase stolen cars, but you gotta write that report."

McMillion is nearing the end of the second of three phases in the training process. His trainer, Townsend, said each of the three phases equates to about 16 working shifts.

Townsend began his law enforcement career at 14 through the Explorer Program, in place to reel the youth into law enforcement. Fort Myers Police hired him aged 19 as a community service aide before he became a patrol officer. He's been at that post for four years.

"Sometimes it can change depending on the trainee's performance in that respective phase," he said about field training, adding that the training phases come after pre-deployment and completion at the academy.

Zammit said they have recruits fresh out of college, as well as others with military background.

Of those coming out of college, Zammit said, a majority have a criminal justice background.

"This is a slow progress," Zammit said. "You can't come here and think that you're going to be the best officer. There is a learning process that you have to go through."

How do the numbers translate across Southwest Florida?

By Feb. 1, some Southwest Florida police departments were tasked with hiring one-sixth of its expected staff and have nearly completed that mission since. Six months later, they filled most of those vacancies.

Others didn't report vacancies during the six-month period.

The Fort Myers Police Department records the lowest entry-level salary. Here's a breakdown of the numbers by jurisdiction:

Lee County Sheriff's Office

Entry-level deputies earn a yearly salary of $52,000 without a sign-on bonus.

The public information office says the number of entry-level openings changes daily.

A full staff means they will have 1,144 authorized deputies, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said. During an Aug. 2 press conference, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the sheriff's office has about 1,600 employees.

Fort Myers Police

Noncertified entry-level police officers with Fort Myers Police Department earn $43,721.60, while certified police officers will earn $50,856.

The police department also offers a $5,000 sign-on bonus and a $500 housing monthly stipend for those who live within city limits.

By Feb. 1, Fort Myers Police had 21 entry-level officer openings. A full staff means 256 sworn officers.

By July 28, Zammit, who's been with Fort Myers Police for 21 years, said they had 17 officers in field training.

Officer Kristin Capuzzi, spokesperson for Fort Myers Police, said they've seen an increase in officers hailing from the northern states after Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented a $5,000 bonus to get more officers to the Sunshine State.

Cape Coral Police

An entry-level officer at Cape Coral Police earns $58,115. The city doesn't offer a sign-on bonus.

By Feb. 1, Cape Coral Police had 29 entry-level officer openings. By Aug. 1, they had to fill 22 entry-level officer gaps.

A full staff translates into 300 uniformed officers.

Sanibel Police

Entry-level officers at Sanibel Police earn a yearly salary of $57,909.28.

At the time of the request, Sanibel Police didn't offer a sign-on bonus, said Crystal Mansell, spokesperson for the city.

By Feb. 1, Sanibel Police was looking to fill five entry-level openings, which makes for one-sixth of staffed officers. A full staff for them means they will have 30 officers.

Mansell said that by Aug. 1 they only needed to fill one entry-level officer position.

Collier County Sheriff's Office

A deputy trainee with the Collier County Sheriff's Office will earn an entry-level salary of $49,505, while a certified deputy will earn a $58,314 yearly salary.

The office offers a $3,000 sign-on bonus for full-time certified new hires and a $1,500 bonus for full-time civilian new hires.

By Feb. 1, the sheriff's office had 170 vacancies below supervisory level. They included certified and civilian openings. Six months later, the number of vacancies reduced to 145.

A full staff means 1,457 employees — about 150 less than in Lee County.

Naples Police

A certified entry-level Naples Police officer will earn $60,000, while a police officer trainee will be hired at $50,000.

Naples offers a $2,500 sign-on bonus for a newly hired police officer’s first paycheck, and a $2,500 bonus after completion of their field training program.

First-time law enforcement officers are offered a $5,000 sign-on bonus.

By Feb. 1, Naples Police sought to fill 14 entry-level officer vacancies. By Aug. 1, their number of vacancies reduced to five. A full staff translates into 72 officers.

Marco Island Police

An entry-level officer in the Marco Island Police Department will earn $54,580 per year. The city doesn't offer a sign-on bonus.

The city didn't need any additional police officers by Feb. 1. Leslie Sanford, human resources manager for the city, said the numbers remained steady through Aug. 1.

Twenty-eight officers make up a full staff.

Dozens graduate Law Enforcement Academy across SWFL

Law enforcement agencies across Southwest Florida have graduated dozens from Law Enforcement Academy in recent months, hoping to fill in the gap.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office on March 5 announced it swore in, at least, 12 graduates from the Southwest Florida Public Service Academy. Then, on July 6, they announced a family's third generation was sworn into the sheriff's office when deputy Justin Bonsall followed in the footsteps of his father, Traffic Unit Cpl. Matthew Bonsall and his late grandfather, Maj. David Bonsall.

Cape Coral Police swore five officers in on Feb. 24, followed by another five on April 21 and six on April 25. Fort Myers Police, for their part, swore two new officers in on March 15.

In neighboring Collier County, the sheriff's office on Feb. 24 graduated at least seven newly sworn law enforcement officers during a ceremony that included State Attorney Amira Fox.

Shy of three months later, Naples Police on May 8 announced that three of their own recent graduates had become certified police officers.

More than just the uniforms

Townsend said communities often focus too much on law enforcement uniforms and draw their conclusions around patrolmen.

"One thing I'd like the community to know is that there's humans behind," Townsend said. "We're not all just in uniform. Sure ... we wear it, but it's part of our uniform."

He compared their given uniforms with how chefs wear aprons.

"We're just people, just like the people we deal with on calls, and I try to integrate that into the training to, 'Don't put yourself in a position of power,'" Townsend said. "Talk to people like humans, because a lot of the negativity is associated with the uniform, not necessarily the independent officers themselves."

Townsend said they're "all people at the end of the day."

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Shortage impacts SWFL law enforcement, mirroring national trend