Concerns about hiring and keeping law enforcement officers have skyrocketed among local government officials in Michigan in the past decade.
Local law enforcement officials themselves are even more pessimistic about recruitment and retention within their ranks.
The findings, which come in the latest Michigan Public Policy Survey conducted by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, represent an “enormous increase” since 2015 and reflect nationwide staffing challenges.
In 2024, nearly three-quarters (72%) of Michigan local governments that provide or contract for law enforcement services report having problems with recruiting qualified law enforcement personnel, including 39% that say they have significant problems. Nearly half (48%) report problems with retaining current officers.
That represents a tripling since 2015, when 22% of Michigan counties, cities, villages and townships involved in law enforcement services reported personnel recruitment or retention was a problem. At that time, a third said recruitment and retention of law enforcement personnel was not a problem at all in their jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, this year’s survey (conducted earlier this year) also found 88% of police chiefs and 84% of county sheriffs say recruitment is a problem. That includes nearly two-thirds among both groups saying it’s a significant problem in their department or office.
“The survey has been tracking the increase in local governments’ workforce challenges for years now, but these concerns about law enforcement personnel are particularly worrisome,” said Debra Horner, the survey’s senior program manager. “Because there are fewer new-hire candidates to go around, many local government and law enforcement leaders report increased problems with agencies competing against each other and ‘poaching’ officers from neighboring jurisdictions.”
Law enforcement recruitment and retention are problems in all jurisdictions but most common in the larger ones. That also represents a huge shift over the past decade: In 2015, only 20% of local government leaders in the state’s smallest jurisdictions with a role in law enforcement identified these as problems.
Now, more than double are saying that recruiting qualified officers (59%) and retention (42%) are problems. Among communities with more than 30,000 residents, fewer than 30% said they had these problems in 2015; now, 86% say officer recruitment is a problem.
“Local government leaders recognize the challenges their police departments and sheriff’s offices are having with recruitment and retention, but there may be a mismatch in how this affects law enforcement service delivery,” said Natalie Fitzpatrick, CLOSUP project manager. “For example, nearly half of all Michigan police chiefs told us they don’t currently have enough officers or support staff to deliver needed services. However, only 26% of local government leaders believe the agency that serves their jurisdiction is understaffed.”
Recommendations among respondents to help with their law enforcement personnel challenges include boosting pay and benefits, as well as increasing other incentives such as more flexible schedules, child care and tuition reimbursement. Apprenticeship, cadet and other “pipeline” programs also are considered helpful, though they are more favored by government officials than chiefs of police, according to the survey.
CLOSUP, which is part of U-M’s Ford School of Public Policy, surveyed county, city, township and village officials from 1,304 jurisdictions across the state. It also garnered responses from 54 county sheriffs, 234 chiefs of police or directors of public safety and 55 county prosecutors.
Written by Jeff Karoub, University of Michigan News
