One of the most prevalent concerns in law enforcement today is staffing. Agencies fight over coveted personnel, offering incentives such as sign-on bonuses, mortgage assistance and moving allowances. This is occurring in an occupation where only ten years ago potential officers sent out a dozen applications and held their breath, praying someone--anyone would hire them. But the field of law enforcement changed. Where once an officer worried about whether he could get a job, now the main worry is whether or not he will ever see another day off. This phenomenon not only affects sworn personnel, but civilian ones as well.

Job postings for police communications operators are also plentiful. Officer.com has 109 positions listed in this category. Even the oldest, in Seguin (TX), listed in June, 2004, is still open until filled. Many of the others use similar terms, including "on-going recruitment" and "on a continuous basis." Departments have begun offering incentive pay. Sequin offers a hiring incentive for experience and Lawrenceville (Metro Atlanta, GA) offers a $2,000 incremental hiring bonus. In a job with adequate pay, benefits, and personal satisfaction, where did all the dispatchers go?

Several factors affect staffing. Economics, such as a drop in unemployment rates and an increase in private sector pay has heavily impacted applicants. Technology is another huge issue. Operators no longer answer one phone and jot penciled notes onto a notepad. A visit to most centers reveals consoles covered in various computer components. Unfortunately, the change from manual to highly technical job expectations did not include correspondingly high compensation. Many technically-savvy individuals opted for private sector jobs which pay more. Along with this, many emergency communications center employees are leaving for the same reason. Retention, in addition to recruitment problems, adds an additional strain.

While less people apply for communication positions, many are leaving. Normal departures, such as retirement, stretch centers thin. Due to increased problems relating to mandatory overtime, disability and stress departures have increased. All of these issues put staffing shortages at a critical level. The implications to operators and the public are hefty.

Three main consequences lie at the heart of staffing shortages: operator health, public safety and taxes. The last of these, consequences to the taxpayer, revolves around the amount of money departments are paying to cover overtime.