Worcester police department: Does it have a recruiting problem?

WORCESTER – Richard Cipro has been a Worcester police officer for nearly 30 years, and believes the department he cares deeply about has a problem. Worcester, like many departments nationwide, is having a tough time recruiting and retaining police officers.

There are several reasons, said Cipro, president of Local 504, Worcester's police union. One is a general lack of respect for police.

"Those leaving (the profession) early, they feel ostracized as police. They pack it in, because they’re not getting the respect on the street like they used to, never mind elected officials,” said Cipro, a police sergeant.

Another factor is a long list of fatal police shootings nationwide, followed by loud calls for police reforms to lower police budgets or defund them that have rocked departments.

“Has the national narrative of policing actually contributed to the challenge of recruiting qualified officers? Of course, it can. It would be dumb to say it hasn’t contributed to it," said Cipro.

Policing problems have reportedly seeped into Worcester, including the U.S. Department of Justice announcement in November that it’s investigating the department to determine whether it engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force or engages in discriminatory policing based on race or sex.

Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent and his boss, City Manager Eric Batista, declined an interview request for this story.

Former Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme, who served in the department for 33 years, including 12 as chief before he retried in 2016, said his contacts inside the department tell him attrition is an issue, as more officers have been leaving the Worcester force over the past couple of years.

When asked why that’s the case, Gemme couldn’t say for sure, adding, “The combination of what’s going on nationally and going on locally, it makes sense to have police perceived differently today compared to five years ago. It’s difficult to go out every day and perform duties without feeling that they’re not supported by the public and the community.

“When you have morale problems nationally and issues locally, of course it contributes to attrition within police departments.”

Numbers indicate challenges

When Cipro joined the force in 1994, he said, there were 390 officers. Today, he puts the number at 331 in a department budgeted for 371.

That leaves a gap of 40 unfilled positions, and a recent recruit class only had 28 members, according to Cipro. Officials want to start another class to boost the ranks, and Cipro said an email sent out to 200 qualified candidates living in Worcester that are on the civil service list alerted candidates that the department was ready to start background checks on those who wanted to be police officers.

A total of 79 responded that they were interested. Cipro said 79 is too low a number, because far fewer will ultimately make the cut since it generally take three candidates to find one that is qualified to do the job.

City Councilor Kathleen Toomey, chairwoman of the council's Public Safety Committee, echoed that assessment, saying that normally one out of every four candidates makes it through the background check and physical fitness requirements to become an officer.

"There is general concern about fewer candidates," said Toomey when asked what's she's hearing in her discussions with Worcester police officials. She noted a push to hire more minority officers is working, and Cipro backed that up, noting that a recent recruit class had candidates that spoke eight different languages.

But the numbers just aren't there. "They're just nowhere near as many as we need," said Toomey.

Meanwhile, the 200 names on the civil service list are miniscule, said Cipro, compared with the roughly 2,000 names when he started his career nearly 30 years ago.

Toomey warned that large recruit classes from years ago will start retiring in the next year or two. Cipro thinks a "large portion" of Worcester police will retire in the next few years, and it's unclear if there will be enough qualified candidates to fill the void.

Police officials did not respond to a request to provide the number of recent resignations and retirements. The department did provide staffing numbers for ranked officers (sergeants, lieutenants, captains, deputy chiefs, chief) and patrol officers.

The figures show a moderate decline in patrol officers and a slight increase in the number of ranked officers:

● 87 ranked officers/350 patrol officers on Jan. 1, 2019

● 92 ranked officers/361 patrol officers on Jan. 1, 2020

● 91 ranked officers/344 patrol officers on Jan. 1, 2021

● 91 ranked officers/356 patrol officers on Jan. 1, 2022

● 94 ranked officers/335 patrol officers on Jan. 1, 2023

Hiring of patrol officers also appears to be in decline, according to department numbers: 34 in 2019, followed by a drop to 28 in 2021. No patrol officers were hired in 2020 and 2022, because the state police academy didn’t have classes that finished in those years, said a Worcester police spokesman.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said the department expects to hire a total of 30 patrol officers by March 10.

McKiernan factor

Officer retention is something Gemme said he had no problem with when he was chief from 2004 to 2016. At the time there were more candidates than open slots. But Gemme acknowledged that the city's recent settlement of a lawsuit involving longtime Police Capt. Michael McKiernan “sent chills through the department."

Worcester paid more than $270,000 to settle a lawsuit with a man who alleges McKiernan lied in a drug case that sent the man to prison for three years.

Gemme said he promoted McKiernan while he was chief, and called him a “man of integrity.” But Gemme noted that the settlement and McKiernan’s reassignment, coupled with national reports of police killings and subsequent calls for reforms, have damaged morale in police departments.

“Look at nationally what’s going on and (court) cases awarded against police. It’s difficult to patrol streets and do the job at the level they want to do. It hangs over them,” said Gemme. “Anecdotally, it probably inhibits retention and recruitment of police officers.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is another potential factor in the struggle to recruit officers, Gemme said. Public health measures resulted in emergency shutdowns, business and school closures, and quarantines for the infected. The developments isolated officers from the neighborhoods they serve, and damaged relationships police developed through the years with community leaders and organizations.

“COVID-19 contributed to many police department problems today,” said Gemme.

What can be done to boost recruiting?

Cipro believes police have to do a better job of educating the public about what officers do, how they do it and how it benefits the community.

Some departments are reportedly luring recruits with signing bonuses and relocation feels. Worcester can’t do that, Cipro said, because it’s a civil service department with strict regulations that prohibit those payments.

As Gemme sees it, constant training and supervision are necessary so officers can do their jobs at the highest level. That can stimulate recruiting, but not every city and town has the budget to pay for those moves, noted Gemme.

Worcester Police Department budgets range from $40.1 million in 2008 to a drop of $38.9 million in 2010 and 2011, followed by a steady rise through the years to $52.7 million in 2022 and $55.1 million in 2023..

As for whether the department offers a livable wage, a factor in any career decision, Cipro said pay starts at $22.79 hourly for candidates enrolled in the police academy. It increases to $27.90 hourly upon graduation, and a maximum of $37.66 hourly after six years on the job.

Earning a master’s degree brings a bump in pay, because those who have the degree, along with seven years on the job, earn $42.23 hourly.

Change is good

Cipro was philosophical when he reflected on calls for police reform, and how it fits into what police can do to attract qualified candidates.

He said all organizations have to evolve and change with the times, and policing is no different. But the point Cipro wants to drive home is policing is about more than making arrests, and he hopes it will encourage qualified candidates to join the Worcester Police Department.

"It's not just about locking up bad guys. It’s more about protecting and serving the community. The last thing we want to do is place people under arrest," he said.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester police face challenge of recruiting more qualified officers