Democratic city mayors continue to complain about astronomical police overtime expenditures and dismal recruiting numbers in the post-George Floyd era of unrest. But this is a Frankenstein monster of the “progressive” Left’s own making. For the past two years, leftist activists have relentlessly vilified law enforcement and pushed policies to strip them of their funding and authority. So it’s no mystery why many are retiring or leaving hostile jurisdictions for a more hospitable environment in the suburbs.
Now that the extent of the damage the Left has wrought is becoming apparent, the same mayors and city councilmembers who voted to slash police budgets are backtracking and suddenly acting to increase funding. It’s no coincidence that their change in heart occurred during a consequential midterm election year. President Joe Biden, for example, is calling for more police funding. This is curious, especially since he delivered an insulting diatribe at the Police Week memorial ceremony last year, in which he chose to highlight police abuses and misconduct rather than the sacrifices made by officers.
The Republican Party is partly responsible for this situation as well, but not through any hostility toward the police. Rather, they abandoned cities and their officers decades ago by choosing not to field viable candidates for city council and mayoral races. The GOP has, in effect, ceded the cities to the Democratic Party rule by default. Decades of Republican electoral apathy and neglect toward the cities have contributed to the societal decay of once-vibrant urban centers, which is most evident in their skyrocketing crime and poverty rates.
These same cities often have several officers on their payrolls earning six-figure overtime payouts. Many officers have worked more than 500 hours of overtime in one calendar year. This has resulted in fatigue and has become a palpable safety risk to both the officers and the public they serve.
The increase in overtime expectations is just one of the consequences of the mass exodus of officers from hostile urban areas. Anyone who can get out, either through retirement or a transfer to another department, is leaving. And who suffers? The working poor, the elderly, and children are the prime victims.
The obvious solution is to recruit and train new police officers to reduce overtime costs and stress on the thin blue line. But over the past two years, there has been a dramatic drop in police department applicants. Many young people who may have had an interest in taking the exam and going through the rigorous preemployment background investigation have witnessed the inaction of cities across the country to support their officers. Without a significant change in leadership and tone, these possible recruits may move on and never look back.
Respect for our police departments begins with the politicians who control the purse strings and the rhetoric that comes from city hall. Change will not occur as long as activist demagogues who are openly hostile to police continue to be elected to these positions unopposed and unchallenged. We can’t afford to watch as our police departments are pilloried by officials who actively despise law enforcement.
Perhaps leaders will emerge from this year’s midterm elections who can help to turn things around. The alternative is the continued slow-motion destruction of our communities.
Michael A. Bertolone, M.S., is the former executive vice president of the Monroe County (NY) Law Enforcement Association.
