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Illinois State Police offer incentives in hopes of adding to ranks

Illinois State Police offer hiring incentives as they struggle to recruit
Illinois State Police offer hiring incentives as they struggle to recruit 02:23

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A lot of police departments are losing officers and struggling to recruit new ones.

That is why the head of the Illinois State Police are offering hiring incentives – hoping to add hundreds to the ranks. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov spoke with ISP Director Brendan Kelly this week about the challenges his department faces.

"We are pushing hard," Kelly said. "We are trying to compete very aggressively."

You could call it a recruitment blitz by the Illinois State Police. Videos and social media ads are now part of a campaign to recruit and train 300 new troopers in the next couple of years.

"It's always a matter of give and take," Kelly said. "We always have new people coming in, and people that are retiring, so there's a constant need."

Director Kelly says the goal is to get back to having more than 2,000 troopers in the department – up from the 1,700 or so the ISP has right now. Kelly said the numbers are higher than they were in 2017, after former Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget stalemate triggered a hiring freeze.

The pandemic also slowed hiring.

But there are other challenges, including an anti-police sentiment held by many since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.

Kozlov: "How has that had an impact on your ranks and also your recruiting efforts, do you think?"

Kelly: "Obviously, it has an impact."

It is a reason the ISP is offering new recruiting incentives, like lowering the retirement age from 60 to 50, and allowing recruits to finish training and work close to home.

After the tragic suicides of two troopers recently, Kelly says the department is also improving its mental health outreach.

"We're getting better as an institution at discussing the importance of taking care of your equipment," Kelly said. "The most important, basic equipment that you've got is your brain."

He also says investigative tools like license plate reader cameras are helping troopers do their jobs. Kelly said they just added another three dozen to the 100 already along expressways.

"Anytime there's a shooting now, we are using the license plate readers as part of the investigation," Kelly said. "It is not occasionally. It is every time."

Director Kelly says the ISP has the biggest budget in its history for next fiscal year, about $800 million. The deadline to apply for the October cadet academy training is June 1.

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