Sit up straight, tell the truth and say “please” and “thank you.”
These are traditional, basic lessons for the average 5-year-old child.
Yet take a look around at a roomful of teenagers and even young adults and one could wonder whether anyone was listening all those years ago.
In the past couple of weeks there have been several stories around the state about the difficulty that police departments are having recruiting capable and qualified new officers.
It’s not a new problem. The difficulty in luring newcomers to a career in law enforcement has been looming for more than a decade.
But that was in a different job market, and a risky job, with relatively low pay and long and unpredictable hours, was easier to pass over.
Today’s market is a bit different, yet still departments are functioning with staff shortages, and the season of tourism, special functions and vacations is here.
That means even more overtime for an already overworked police force as officers are needed to fill in for those who are on vacation and to staff summer concerts and events.
In response, departments in Bangor, Portland and South Portland have created online recruitment videos hoping to entice qualified men and women to careers in law enforcement.
They are exciting videos, featuring rapid camera cuts, lots of flashing blue lights on dark urban streets, body armor and guns. And they are set to heart-pounding rock music, of course.
But still the days of having 100 or 200 people line up for the job are gone, and police chiefs say they are seeing sometimes as few as 30. That’s not a big pool when you’re looking for someone to hand a gun to along with some pretty serious authority.
Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards recently noted that they had 30 applicants for a recent position and not one of them was hired.
Police Chief Ron Gastia said while more applicants may have more education than ever before, they are not necessarily more qualified.
They may have an associate degree in criminal justice but aren’t keen enough to sit up straight or dress properly for a job interview, he said.
“One of the discouraging things is the number of candidates who can’t pass the physical exam,” Gastia said. “And they know it’s coming and exactly what is expected and they have plenty of time to prepare, but they get down to the academy and they can’t do it. There is no excuse for that.”
And for many applicants, Gastia says he senses a certain sense of entitlement.
“There is this sense that they are asking ‘What do you have to offer me?’ rather than trying to show us what they can offer the department,” he said.
Gastia has vowed to keep the department’s hiring standards high, even if it means leaving positions unfilled.
The flashing blue lights, the body armor and the guns are all pretty exciting and they play a part in the life of a police officer, but in reality most police officers in Maine will spend a majority of their time moving along intoxicated people passed out in public places, calming disturbed and disruptive mentally ill people, taking theft reports and breaking up bar fights and domestic disputes.
All of which takes great maturity, common sense and integrity.
And the ability to sit up straight, tell the truth and say “please” and “thank you.”
What kind of kids are coming out of our schools? What responsibility do parents have?
Maybe the city council should rethink the payscale. The city took away a retirement benefit for officers that allowed them to get out while they were still in their 50’s. The idea for that kind that retirement benefit was that police work is physically demanding in not just the work they do but the ever changing hours and stresses that come with dealing with less than desirable situations. There is no reason for a man or woman to become a police officer when they can go do many other things where they are home weekends and evenings, holidays etc. The idea behind the military having a twenty year retirement is to make room for newer, younger individuals to file in behind those that are leaving. It is a young man or woman’s game. Police work is no different. I have spoken to some of the officers and many of the younger men have left the department to go full time at the Air Guard or National Guard for considerably more money, a defined benefit retirement, cheaper medical care as well as less headaches to deal with. It is a sad day when men would rather be available for wartime duties than be a police officer. But the fact is, they leave for the better job in the military. Watch the comments that follow this comment. People do not like police officer in general. Parents raise their children with a complete lack of respect for authority and the police represent rules and authority. Why would one want to be a cop when they can become a nurse or a fireman. Nurses make twenty to thirty thousand more a year than a police officer. Firemen work a 24 on and ridiculous amount of time off schedule and make similar wages as a cop. Firemen in most areas work as tradesmen in their 4 or 5 day off a week schedule and make two salaries. Then they can come to work and sleep. Yes, I know they take calls and do an important job. The point is, police work is a thankless job and no one can say any different. The police departments in this area run with very few officers on the overnight shift and one officer responding to many of the calls that are dangerous in nature. The bottom line is the stories in the news in the last few years would indicate that the problems we are dealing with are more appropriately dealt with by larger law enforcement presence. Review your newspaper stories and find out how many problems recently could have used or called for more firemen. Hint. None. Bangor is in no shape to lose any more police officers. It needs to review why they are leaving or not applying and fix it before this city gets more out of control. EMMC Nurses were recently offered a substantial raise which they are rejecting and they cite patient safety as an issue for staffing and pay issues. Police in Bangor make less than the surrounding, smaller and more peaceful and quaint communities. They deal with more criminal complaints and dangerous situations than the outlying communities police departments as a whole. They pay more for insurance than any other police agency in the area. They have not recieved a raise in three years. They are losing employees to the military and other private outside agencies. The councilors in Bangor ought to stop doing studies and figure it out on their own. Money wont fix everything but you also cannot face the fact that a decent wage and insurance and retirement package matching those of the smaller police departments might go a long way in retaining good, solid police officers.
“There is this sense that they are asking ‘What do you have to offer me?’” Well duh! If I’m gonna risk my butt for your city and put up with all the low-lifes and their petty situations for 95% of my time on shift, what are you going to do for me to make it worth my while to join your ranks? You are courting me, not the other way around Mr. Gastia. Get your head out of your perverbial rear end and offer your officers a reason to walk your streets. You can start with raising the base salary, give raises, offer state retirement (like most other departments in the area), keep the city retirement, offer educational incentives, offer greater promotion potential and increased skills potential, i.e. SWAT, EOD/bomb squad, and pay them accordingly for their extra skills and efforts. Then you may actually see qualified individuals applying to walk your streets. Oh yeah, and most important of all, listen to your officers. They know what is going on and what needs to be done. Don’t think you know it all because you have a star on your collar and you used to walk a beat back in the day. Times change, listen to your officers. I get the feeling that your more of a “The beatings will continue until morale improves” kinda guy rather than one who sees the issue and corrects it before it is too late.
Bangor PD’s hiring problems are no different than the private sector’s. We’re now about 3 generations into folks who don’t know enough to take their hats off when eating Thanksgiving Dinner at Grammy’s house or when the National Anthem is played. They have far less people skills as they Facebook and Twiiter when they’re not watching trash on the TV or on their I- Pads Are we surprised that some of them make poor job candidates?
This slovenly attitude is not confined solely to police applicants.
The “Please” and “Thank you,” once the keywords for a job at a fast food restaurant, disappeared thousands of take-outs ago. It’s the same in stores and other businesses: “Whaddya want?” replaced “Can I help you?”
Sometimes a blank stare awaits you across a bank counter. Make a deposit, say “thank you,” and get a “you’re welcome” from the teller. The once cheery “Good Morning” is now a “Yeah?” Hats are welded into men’s scalps. Irremovable in restaurants, funeral parlors, offices and homes. Some men must wear them to bed.
The highways and by-ways are jammed with the discourteous. Bumper to bumper, drivers are
cussing and waving fingers, between texting and calling home. You’re lucky to make it. The directional signal is rarely used. Stop and Yield signs are regarded as a nuisance and ignored. Speed limits? Who cares?
It’s today’s excuse for a society that simply doesn’t give a rat’s tail. Police have to nursemaid a lot of these people who frequent the bars around Bangor and Brewer. Most of those arrested for kicking in a squad car window, going nuts on monkey dust, hitting an officer, or slicing a girlfriend, or, pal, will be back on the streets within hours of their arrest. And, all primed up and ready to go at it again.
Most of these people should be held for the next session of District Court, so that a judge can set bail, or, give them ten days to re-think their goals in life.