Two Kentucky cities, two approaches to recruiting and retaining police officers

The police chiefs of Louisville and Lexington told lawmakers on Tuesday that they are competing with other public safety agencies to retain their officers.

Lexington police officers are leaving to earn more and receive better benefits, Lexington Police Department Chief Lawrence Weathers told the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government on Tuesday.

“One of the biggest challenges facing the Lexington Police Department is staffing,” he said.

To address this shortage, Weathers said police are providing more mental health resources to their officers and recruiting more new officers.

In Louisville, interim chief Paul Humphrey says they are increasing officer salaries and using mental and physical health resources to increase officer retention.

“If we want to produce a quality product, we also have to pay people a fair wage,” Humphrey told parliamentarians on Tuesday.

The Lexington Police Department

Weathers told the committee that violent crime in the city is declining, but there are still not enough officers to adequately staff the police force.

According to a report by the Lexington-Herald Leader, the Lexington Police Department experienced its worst officer shortage in 2021. The department was short 104 officers. Last year, the department had 87 vacancies, according to a report by WKYT.

Weathers said the Lexington Police Department is now seeing an increase in applications for officers. More than 1,000 applicants are expected for this year’s recruitment program, Weathers said Tuesday.

The Lexington Police Department thanked state lawmakers for their help in increasing recruitment numbers. Last year, state lawmakers passed SB 89, which allows the Lexington Police Department to rehire retired officers for one year with pension and health insurance benefits. The Kentucky House of Representatives also passed HB 380, which allows 20-year-old Kentuckians to be hired into the police force, provided they turn 21 by the time they complete their basic training.

While recruitment numbers are increasing, Weathers said the officer shortage is partly due to a lack of retention. Lexington Police officers are leaving the department for better benefits, including mental health resources, more personal leave and other financial incentives, he said.

“We also compete with (public safety agencies and) private companies that offer competitive salaries, less public scrutiny and safer working conditions,” Weathers said. “In recent years, we have seen other public safety agencies recruit officers with over 20 years of experience and take away personnel with tremendous knowledge and experience.”

To address the lack of bonding, Weathers said the department has hired a full-time psychotherapist to supervise all police department employees.

Louisville Metro Police

While the Lexington Police Department focused on hiring more officers, Humphrey focused on the internal improvements the LMPD was making to retain its officers.

With the new police contract, a Louisville Metro Police officer will earn $66,000 a year in the first year through 2026, Humphrey said. That’s a 46% pay increase over 2021.

He said the raise was intended to help the department compete with other public safety agencies and the “private sector,” which tends to recruit LMPD officers.

“We need to make sure that officers are paid competitively,” Humphrey said.

In April, the city’s police force was short more than 200 officers, but Humphrey did not mention the current shortage at the hearing.

Humphrey said the LMPD has also invested more in mental and physical health care for its officers. He said he is grateful to the Summit Wellness Center clinic for providing mental and physical health resources to officers.

The facility opened last year and is designed to provide the city’s emergency responders with top-notch physical therapy, financial counseling and family support services, according to a report from WAVE 3. Humphrey also said the LMPD has hired a full team of psychologists to supervise its officers five days a week.

While Lexington police told the committee that crime had decreased, Humphrey told lawmakers that violent crime continued to be a challenge for the city.

“Crime – particularly violent crime and gun crime – in Louisville is not at a level that is even remotely acceptable,” Humphrey told the committee.

Humphrey said more and more youth are becoming violent repeat offenders. The LMPD has also observed an increase in gang violence, Humphrey told the committee Tuesday.