Some police departments in New York are significantly down on officers, their numbers cut by resignations and an increase in retirements, which is affecting the way police officers respond to calls for service, according to top brass.  

Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner says his department faces historically low staffing numbers.

The numbers are so low that the chief says call times are down, with officers sometimes getting to less urgent calls 24 hours after they are reported.

Some of the bureau units are rearranged to meet the staffing needs for daily and nightly patrols. When those understaffed units are in need of officers, the department “orders in,” or pays officers overtime to provide coverage. 

“We don’t want to have to order in. But we’re ordering in on shifts, we’re ordering in on CIDs, we’re ordering in on Dome games. We’re doing everything we can to limit that amount of ordering in,” Syracuse Deputy Chief Richard Trudell said.

In 2019, the department was staffed with 425 officers. There are now 387 sworn officers.

The reason? Resignations and mass retirements, says the chief.

Since the summer of 2020, departments across the nation have seen a similar trend in resignations and retirements.

According to a Police Executive Research Forum survey of nearly 200 departments, there was an 18% increase in resignations between 2020 and 2021. Retirements increased by 45%.

Despite what many officers call a “mass exodus,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that police departments lost just under one percent of employees.

In Syracuse, some common councilors suggested a staffing study to understand how to be more “efficient” with police staffing. Buckner pushed back against the suggestion, noting that a study would cost thousands of dollars.

He said he believes 425 officers is the proper staff size for the department.

The highest-paid police officers work in California, where the average salary reaches just over $100,000.

New York officers get paid over $77,000 on average.