HOUSTON -- Just as interest in law enforcement jobs is growing, the Houston Police Academy is cutting back from holding seven classes a year to just two.
As recently as 2008, the academy couldn’t fill its classes and offered a $2,000 signing bonus to peak interest. That incentive expired last year, but the number of people applying to the academy still spiked.
In 2008, the department received 5,473 applications. In 2009, it got 8,182.
In just the first 4 months of this year, it’s received 3,316, putting it on pace to reach nearly 10,000 in 2010.
"My guess, my educated guess is, obviously, the economy has something to do with that," said Executive Assistant Chief Martha Montalvo, who oversees the Houston Police Academy. "They were having a hard time, in terms of finding of employment, and they considered us an excellent choice."
The Houston Police Officers’ Union president, Gary Blankinship, says Houston still needs more officers, at least 2,000, to put it on par with other cities its size.
However, the department just can’t afford them right now, he said.
With a third of the force eligible to retire, he said he believes the department will likely lose more officers than it’s gaining.
"You probably have to run at least three academy classes a year just to maintain [the current staff numbers]," says Blankinship.
Other law enforcement agencies report a similar increase in demand for jobs, just as they’re having to tighten their budgets.
When Galveston Police Department advertised 15 openings for police positions, 739 people applied.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, stopped accepting applications altogether in November for both civilian and deputy jobs.
At the time, it had 4,000 applicants for jobs, in the midst of a hiring freeze.
