Ark. Police Department Rethinks Hiring Strategies amid Labor Shortage

Across the country, police departments have experienced trouble hiring and retaining workers, Fort Smith is looking to remedy these losses with new hiring strategies.

"The Fort Smith Police Department, like a vast majority of police agencies across Arkansas and the nation, has experienced challenges in hiring new police officers and retaining those at or near retirement," Danny Baker, Fort Smith police chief said.

Since Jan. 1, 2020, the Fort Smith Police Department lost 35 officers, 18 of which had less than 5 years of service; 16 had more than ten years. The department has an authorized strength of 164, which is a loss of around 21%.

During that same time, the department hired just 23 new officers.

Aric Mitchell, public information officer for the Fort Smith Police Department, believes that on a national level, there needs to be a change in the way police departments find candidates.

"Historically, law enforcement has tried to sell the excitement angle to potential candidates. Unfortunately, that results in only attracting one type of candidate, candidates with 'warrior' mindsets," Mitchell said. "We are not at war with our community. We are public servants, first and foremost, and we are part of this community."

The Fort Smith Police Department has taken strides to focus on recruiting those with a guardian mindset instead of a warrior mindset. This focus coincided with Baker becoming chief in 2019.

Mitchell believes that if you are selling the intensity, combat, and equipment of the job then you're not preparing officers for what the job requires.

From Jan. 1, 2019, through Oct. 22, 2021, the department received 232,677 calls for service. Only 36 of those calls escalated to a need for force.

Baker has been working closely with his command staff, city administrator, and board of directors to improve pay and incentives at the police department.

Entry pay for new Fort Smith police officers is $38,563 annually, below the Arkansas state average of around $42,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Mitchell said the department has been competing with other forces, some unique to Fort Smith and others comparative to national issues like defund police movements.

Locally, they have lost several retirement-age officers to the newly created Fort Smith Public Schools Police Department as well as the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, and local corporations that pay more than what the department offers. Now that those agencies are full, Mitchell believes that the losses should stabilize.

"Nationally, an anti-police sentiment has taken its toll on the willingness of some to continue to be police officers. That's beyond our control," Mitchell said. "What we can control, however, is how our community perceives us. And we can give them a police force that works for them and more accurately reflects who they are and what they deserve."

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