High cost of living in the county make it difficult to hire, retain law enforcement personnel
Marin County law enforcement faces difficulties in hiring, in part because of high cost of living and a video of a violent arrest.
Agencies with similar or higher salaries and long commutes make it difficult to retain and recruit new officers, according to the Marin Independent Journal. The police department of San Rafael, located in Marin County, has had at least 32 officers leave or retire from the department recently.
It has been difficult to replace these officers with experienced applicants. “The number of qualified applicants has been decreasing in recent years,” said San Rafael Lieutenant Scott Eberle.
Some officers have left their residences in Marin County and moved to affordable communities. Other agencies also offered incentives such as additional pay for bilingual applicants or for specialized training the article said.
“It has become increasingly difficult to recruit and retain qualified officers, not only because of headlines in the newspaper but because of financial and quality-of-life concerns,” San Rafael Chief David Spiller wrote in a statement to the Journal.
He was referring to video of a violent arrest caught on a police officer body camera that made recent headlines, drawing community backlash and sparking discussions about over-policing.
Police officer attrition is a statewide problem. For example, the nearby town of Novato has lost officers has lost an average of 12 officers or trainees each year since 2013, the article said. Novato Police Chief Beth Johnson blamed the double-punch of two recent national news stories.
“The murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the global Covid-19 pandemic made 2020 a really challenging year for the profession, with the public questioning law enforcement,” Johnson said.
