Police recruits are (finally) climbing in La Salle, Bureau counties

This fall, Paige Talty will be on patrol as a Streator police officer. She’s excited, but not half as much as Streator Police Chief John Franklin. After all, Streator hadn’t had a female officer in 30 years.

Talty is attending Sauk Valley Police Academy, where she is by no means the only woman. Recruitment had virtually dried up; but now applications are climbing and there is more diversity at the academy.

“My best friend, Hunter Wright, is a Peru cop, and she honestly pushed me to follow my dreams,” Talty said. “I have met a lot of amazing women that have also chosen this path.

“Unfortunately, over the past couple of years police haven’t been viewed in a very positive light. I feel that recruiting is up because people are wanting to be the change.”

And not a moment too soon. The novel coronavirus, the George Floyd killing and the SAFE-T Act collectively drove veteran cops into early retirement, according to local police chiefs, and concerned them about effect on recruitment. Some departments were stretched thin.

“We are seeing more viable candidates looking to enter the field of law enforcement”

—  Mike Smudzinski, La Salle police chief

Not anymore. The recruiting drought has ended and police chiefs in the Illinois Valley report their staffing shortages have significantly abated.

The Mendota Police Department has one vacancy and more than a dozen people have picked up applications for June 8 testing. Oglesby is waiting to test 10 candidates. Streator police are almost at full strength. La Salle Police Chief Mike Smudzinski noticed “an uptick” in recruiting but said the bigger story is the improving quality of applicants.

“We are seeing more viable candidates looking to enter the field of law enforcement,” Smudzinski said.

What’s going on? Cities have boosted starting pay. The spotlight has dimmed on the Floyd case and public perception of law enforcement is trending north. Police have adapted to the SAFE-T Act, though not embraced it, and recruits at least have a clearer picture of what they’re getting into.

“The city did increase the starting salary and made a move also increase the salaries up to year 10 to retain staff and allowing for yearly increases after to continue the salary growth,” Ottawa Police Chief Brent Roalson said. “There were other incentives modified to also create incentives for senior staff members.”

“We’re seeing more recruits due to changes made within law enforcement to entice people to the field: wage increases, sign-on bonuses, and increases in training standards to ensure recruits are duly trained,” Spring Valley Police Chief Adam Curran also said.

Young people have taken note. Several chiefs observed that recruitment appears to be stronger downstate than in Chicago and the surrounding area. That trend suggests recruits are gravitating to municipalities where the money goes further and where there’s less danger, though policing remains inherently risky.

“There are definitely still major staffing shortages in the bigger and more violent cities in the country,” Smudzinski said.

The increases in pay aren’t merely to attract fresh recruits, however. Police chiefs want to keep their sworn officers from calling it quits and to lure experienced officers from smaller agencies.

Last week, the La Salle County Board approved a “side letter agreement” with the Metropolitan Association of Police to help the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office attract transfers from smaller departments. Sheriff Adam Diss wants fresh-faced recruits but he also wants veterans who can hit the road their first day.

“We’ve had good luck with recruitment and retention,” Diss said. “We haven’t tested for our eligibility list for new hires in a while so I’m looking forward to seeing that.”

Several chiefs observed a welcome number of women and minorities in the recruiting pool. Talty will be the first female Streator police officer in a generation and Streator Police Chief John Franklin wants more.

“There’s always more room for improvement,” Franklin said. “No police department can sit on its laurels. We always have to do more recruitment. I hope that more women and more people of color want to be part of the solution.”