Aurora Police Department poaches NYPD's finest to help with staffing crisis
As cities across the country struggle to attract new police officers, Aurora has decided to try something different by raiding other police departments, starting with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The NYPD has something Aurora doesn't, a diverse police force. Aurora also has something New York City doesn't, a starting pay at least $20,000 higher, along with a signing bonus.
"We thought sort of a leap of faith that this sales pitch might work," says Aurora Interim Chief Dan Oates, who summoned some of Aurora's finest and dispatched them on a road trip to the Big Apple earlier this month.
As luck would have it, NYPD was in the middle of a sergeant's exam when the Aurora crew arrived. Oates says thousands of officers were at the precincts testing and his recruiters were allowed to walk right in and hand out brochures.
"They visited like ten different precincts in New York and talked to cops at roll call and hanging around the station," said Chief Oates.
Oates says no one from NYPD reached out to tell him to cut it out and the police union, he says, was all too happy to help distribute Aurora's marketing materials. He says the union was in the middle of contract negotiations and used Aurora as leverage to get a raise.
Oates says he's already received 27 applications, but he expects more to roll in. He's hoping they include men and women of color, who make up 75% of NYPD's force but just 25% of Aurora's. He says the starting pay in New York is around $40,000. In Aurora, it's $65,000. With experience, an officer can start at up to $80,000, and within four years, make six figures. Aurora also offers a signing bonus of up to $15,000.
Oates says he has 40 vacancies right now and admits response times have suffered as a result.
"There are many times throughout the day that we're holding calls for service. It pains me to see us not be able to deliver with the response times we like and having people think we don't care and we very much care," said Oates.
It also pains him, he says, that some people don't see policing as he does, a noble and worthy profession.
"This is definitely a life of service and it's a great job," said Cheif Oates.
For him, law enforcement is a calling and he's proof the call can come in peculiar ways.
"I was 23 years old when I heard an ad on the radio that NYPD was hiring. I was in an unfulfilling career and I thought about it and said, 'That's a crazy idea,' and the rest is history," said Oates.
A history that's come full circle as he heads back to his old stomping grounds in search of the young Dan Oates of today.
"I'm winding down a 40-year career and I have had so much fun and personal growth in this business. Every day you come to work and you don't know what's going to happen, but almost certainly you're going to have these little moments of victories where you're providing this service that no one else can provide and helping people out of crisis and that's the great fun of this profession," he said.
Oates is already planning a trip to Atlanta and he says he's hiring a professional marketing group to help the police department up its game.
