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Transcript/ScriptUS POLICE RECRUITS
HEADLINE: Police Departments Dig Deeper to Attract Recruits
TEASER: Nationwide shortage of officers blamed on tight labor market, blows to police prestige – something many signing up to serve hope to fix
PUBLISHED AT: 10/13/2022 at pm
BYLINE: LAUREL BOWMAN
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
VIDEOGRAPHER: ADAM GREENBAUM
PRODUCER: ADAM GREENBAUM
SCRIPT EDITORS: Michael Bowman, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Reuters, MPD
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:21
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE:))
((WEB/TV INTRO))
[[Across the U.S., there’s a shortage of police officers that is often blamed on a tight labor market and negative perceptions of the job after a spate of incidents in which officers killed unarmed Black people. Even so, many signing up for law enforcement jobs in and around Washington say they hope to build a better and kinder force, as VOA’s Laurel Bowman discovered.]]
((NATS – LaRoche: “Drop it!! Put it down!!”))
((NARRATOR))
Police recruit Nancy LaRoche says, growing up, cops were the bad guys.
((Nancy LaRoche, Police Recruit in Northern Virginia))
“Being from a trailer park in Minnesota I also thought police officers’ jobs were to go around making peoples’ lives harder. I know there is a large number of people in America who also believe that and if I can change one person’s viewpoint that’s only a small portion of what I hope to achieve.”
((NATS – LaRoche: “Ma’am?”))
((NARRATOR))
Change is a word we heard a lot when VOA interviewed police recruits at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy outside Washington.
((NATS – Instructor: “This is going to be kind of hard, but I can transition, palms behind your back”))
Despite shortages of police officers nationwide, many young people still have a calling for the job.
LaRoche said she is looking forward to interacting with youth … teaching them not to fear police.
((Nancy LaRoche, Police Recruit in Northern Virginia))
“When it comes to change it’s just to change the perspective that cops aren’t out there to make your life harder.”
((NATS – Instructor: “First thing I am looking for is….??”))
((NARRATOR))
Fresh recruit Chelsea Henry says she’s been heartbroken watching Black men die at the hands of police …
((Chelsea Henry, Police Recruit in Northern Virginia))
“Like George Floyd that also sparked my idea of being a part of change and also help bridge that gap between the police and the community.”
((NARRATOR))
While many Americans continue to revere law enforcement…
((NATS – Rally: “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!!”))
…anti-police sentiment has been stoked by bad cops doing bad things, says Patrick Loftus, director of strategic engagement for Washington's Metropolitan Police Department.
((Patrick Loftus, Washington Metropolitan Police Department))
“What that anti-police sentiment does is it makes policing look less desirable … it makes people less likely to support their loved ones and family members and friends to go into policing and that really hurts us when we are trying to recruit people.”
((NATS – DC Police trainer: “Left, Left. Left Right Left!!”))
((NARRATOR))
Combine that with a tight labor market in which all employers are competing for talent. The end result is a police force stretched thin in the nation’s capital.
((NATS – Instructor: “ We are going with the sled drive, the sled push, turn and come back”))
Loftus says his department has had to innovate in its outreach to recruits … offering a twenty thousand dollar signing bonus, money for college and rental assistance.
((NATS – DC Police promo video))
((COURTESY: Metropolitan Police Department))
((NARRATOR))
The department reaches out via social media like TikTok and even ran a recruiting ad in the New York City subway system.
((Patrick Loftus, Washington Metropolitan Police Department))
“We are continuing to try to come up with just creative ways to attract the best candidates that we can.”
((NARRATOR))
Some recruits did admit to apprehension about one day hitting the streets in uniform.
((John Cox, Police Recruit in Northern Virginia))
“Safety is my big concern … not only for myself but for my colleagues and the public.”
((NARRATOR))
Balanced with a desire to be a force for good.
((John Cox, Police Recruit in Northern Virginia))
“Trying to bring that humanity back to policing … maybe I don’t convince everybody of it, but I think that I can do a really good job and maybe show one or two people a day that, you know, we are still humans, and I am looking forward to that just bringing that positivity back to the job.”
((NATS – DC Police training))
((Laurel Bowman, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
WASHINGTON D.C.
Embargo DateOctober 13, 2022 18:52 EDT
BylineLaurel Bowman, VOA News, Washington
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
