Chicago police are seeking to hire former U.S. Marines as they try to find 1,300 new officers they need to operate.
Chicago Police Deputy Chief Migdalia Bulnes went to Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California, where 9,000 Marines become civilians every year, to replenish the city’s police force, and took six former Marines who are now officers to help in the recruitment, she said Thursday. The department has recently hired 50 new officers but still needs more to operate fully, according to CBS.
“The reality is that we need to fill the gaps quickly,” Bulnes said.
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Background checks, drug screens, and written tests were given immediately on-site to the 19 Marines who applied for positions in the police force. The process typically takes several months to complete but is now compressed to only three weeks.
In reaching out to former U.S. Marines, Bulnes acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges in recruiting new officers is “the negativity that goes around it,” as police departments across the country are struggling to keep officers after the death of George Floyd in 2020. Police resignations are up by more than 40% since 2019, and retirements increased by almost 25% during the same period, according to a recent survey of 172 police departments conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum.
A new policy Chicago unveiled Tuesday, which will go into effect by the end of the summer, prohibits officers from pursuing suspects of minor offenses, such as parking violations, driving on a suspended license, drinking in public, or if people simply run away. Officers will still be allowed to pursue those suspected of committing a serious traffic offense, such as driving under the influence or street racing, along with those suspected of committing a Class A misdemeanor such as domestic battery or a felony.
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Ken Griffin, a hedge fund billionaire worth nearly $29 billion and Chicago’s richest resident, announced last week he had moved his $22 billion company Citadel Securities from Illinois to Florida. While not stated in a letter to employees, Citadel officials reportedly said crime was a critical factor in the decision to move.
