Nearly 50 new recruits starting training this month are putting a dent in the ongoing need for more Tucson police patrol officers.
But there’s a disparity between how many officers the city and the officers’ union say are needed here. The separation in what the union says is needed was highlighted in August when the Tucson Police Officer’s Association posted on its Facebook page that there were only 314 officers available to respond to thousands of 911 calls across the city.
When days off are taken into consideration, the union post said, only about 13 officers per shift, for each of TPD’s four divisions, were available to answer calls for help. That’s based on 157 officers divided into three shifts, or 52 officers per shift divided by the city’s four divisions.
“13 officers to respond to your emergencies. Now what happens when an officer is sick, takes a vacation day, or has to attend a training,” the post said. “Tucson needs to take a hard look at Police Staffing for the safety of the citizens and officers.”
The department says that while more patrol officers are always welcome, staffing is not as dire as the union’s social post declares.
As of Sept. 22, TPD had 451 officers assigned to the field services bureau, the unit that responds to calls for service, said Assistant Chief Eric Kazmierczak. That number does not account for light-duty officers and those on military or medical leave, Kazmierczak said.
While he would not say there’s a staff shortage, Kazmierczak said he welcomes more recruits, adding that for both the public or private sector, the answer to additional employees is “yes.”
“Right now I think we have 813 sworn commissioned members of this Police Department, we have another roughly 300 professional staff and all of them are out there every day doing a great job,” Kazmierczak said.
Still, the police union has taken a hard line on the issue and is adamant that staffing is a problem.
“Our staffing has been an issue for several years,” said Jason Winsky, political-affairs director for the Tucson Police Officer’s Association. “We recently got numbers from the department itself that talks about 66 officers who have left this year.”
The union is increasingly concerned with the loss of officers, citing low pay as the driving force, Winsky said.
“We’re seeing our best and brightest officers leaving for other agencies,” he said.
“That is because our pay is not competitive to agencies both surrounding here in Tucson and also even in other states.”
Recruiting officers at TPD continue to work year-round to add members to various jobs across the department, Kazmierczak said, adding that recruiters work throughout the week at school campuses and different recruiting events around the city.
“The department estimates that it costs about $100,000 to train that single officer,” Winsky said. “When you talk about losing 66 officers in a single year, you’re talking about a $6.6 million loss to our agency just in training dollars (and) also years of tenure and experience.”
Starting salary for TPD officers once they begin attending the academy is $47,132, according to job postings.
By comparison, the Phoenix Police Department pay for those in the academy is $47,798, and once in a department job is $51,480, Winsky said, adding that TPD officers have also left to work for other agencies within the state.
Winsky said the public’s response is needed to influence City Council efforts for change.
“All budgets are a matter of priority, that’s how budgets really work, and the police officers and the firefighters of our community are wondering when we’re going to be the priority,” he said.
