Source Houston Chronicle
In one of his first official acts after being confirmed as Houston's new police chief, Noe Diaz attended the graduation of 53 cadets Thursday — the smallest class of the four that have graduated so far this year.
Diaz in his brief comments praised the cadets, saying they could have chosen any profession, yet chose to serve as police officers. The graduation comes after Diaz spoke about the need of bolstering the department's ranks in his introductory press conference.
"Police have a lot of power," Diaz told the cadets Thursday. "But it should be the power to be kind, to be decent and to help the little guy. That's our primary job."
The Houston Police Department's four cadet classes this year thus far have included 77, 66, 68 and now 53 graduates, according to Shay Awosiyan, spokesman for the department. Recruiting officials have previously told the Chronicle they aim for each cadet class to have between 75 to 82 cadets, but have struggled to consistently meet those numbers.
"It's just hard to get people to be cops," said Ray Hunt, executive director of the Houston Police Officers Union. "We used to have an easy time finding people."
Houston is not alone in struggling to find enough cadets to replenish the ranks amid a growing number of retirements, Hunt said. The executive with the union attributed the struggle to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, other news headlines about police interactions with residents and a reticence to take on such a physically-intensive job.
Hunt said he's seen young officers leave the department's ranks in recent years for lower-stress careers in cybersecurity and elsewhere.
Law enforcement experts for years have warned that an aging workforce would one day need to be replaced in public safety. Cities have begun actively recruiting police officers in other cities, offering cash bonuses and trying to raise base salaries, even as city budgets are strained.
The City Council approved the $4 million for the recruiting class after acting Chief Larry Satterwhite joined the chorus of city leaders in calling for money for additional officers, saying the department might need as many as 2,000 more employees to adequately serve the city through patrols and investigations.
More than 90% of the department's budget goes toward staffing costs, covering roughly 5,200 officers and 900 civilian employees, according to budget documents. Leaders have said police staffing numbers are lower than they were 25 years ago, despite the growth of the city's population over the years.
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