Boston's Top Cop: Public Perception Biggest Barrier in Police Recruiting

April 11, 2023

“Young people are very impressionable they don’t want to go to a place where nobody likes that particular profession,” said Boston's police commissioner about recruiting struggles.

By Alvin Buyinza

Source masslive.com

In a TV interview on Sunday, Boston’s police Commissioner Michael Cox said the public’s negative perception of police is the biggest barrier his department faces in recruiting more officers.

“This is a noble profession, people sign on to help people when they come on this job, but the reality is that’s not the rhetoric that’s out there,” Cox said in an interview with WCVB-TV.

In recent years, many Americans have been critical of law enforcement following notable police killings of Black Americans like Tyre Nichols, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Phrases from the public like “defund the police” and “ACAB” — an anti-police slogan — have grown in response to incidents of police shootings and other violence.

Cox believes it’s rhetoric like that which is scaring away new recruits, especially younger ones.

“Young people are very impressionable they don’t want to go to a place where nobody likes that particular profession,” Cox said.

The Boston police department is in the midst of an officer shortage. Currently, the city has around 1,600 police officers working for the force, which is less than the 2,000 that the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association would like to have, Cox said during the interview.

The shortage of officers can be attributed to a rising number of voluntary resignations and retirements. Last year, 36 officers voluntarily left the Boston police department compared to zero in 2018, according to an analysis from The Boston Globe, which said about 350 officers have retired since May of 2020.

To tackle the Boston police department’s low staff levels, Cox has placed a call out for officers from other departments to move to the city. Currently, Boston requires its police officers to have lived in the city for at least 10 years.

When asked if Boston should get rid of its residency requirement for police officers Cox shied away from an answer.

“That’s a political question,” Cox said during the interview. “My job is to make sure we field a team and not really get into politics. Right now our biggest impediment is not residency; its perception.”

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