The Oak Park Police Department is budgeted for 118 officers but 32 of those positions are vacant.
That’s 27% of the entire police force.
Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said the department is working as fast as they can to fill the positions, but she’s not concerned about a risk to public safety despite each division being affected.
“Despite our staffing levels, the police department continues to strive for excellence,” she said.
Village president Vicki Scaman said her biggest concern is not safety, but rather the strain of the vacancies on the police department.
“I feel that our police department does an amazing job despite the vacancies but that the covering of those vacancies is going to have its wear and tear on our personnel,” Scaman said. “And that’s not ideal.”
Still, residents question the vacancies.
One Oak Park resident, Richard Willis, expressed his concern about the vacant officer positions in a letter. Willis, a former Oak Park Township trustee and community mental health board member, said he believes the lack of officers hinders the department’s ability to keep the community safe.
In the letter, Willis questioned whether the shortage has led to more shoplifting incidents or traffic violations, and urged the village board to work with the police department and union representatives to find a solution.
National problem at home
Oak Park is not alone in experiencing an officer shortage. The United States is experiencing police department vacancies nationwide, according to NBC News, and has been since 2020.
Johnson said the number of openings in Oak Park is the result of retirements, the COVID-19 pandemic and a general lack of interest in entering the police force.
Nationwide, officer resignations were up 47% between 2019 and 2022, and retirements were up 19%, according to NBC News. Experts speculate that young people are less enthusiastic about training to become police officers to fill those veteran vacancies.
According to The Washington Post, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police recorded department struggles, finding that 60% of 239 agencies said they were not fully staffed and 19% said they were short staffed.
In Oak Park, the police department saw a massive group of new hires in 1989. But after 30 years, the officers were able to access their full pension, prompting many retirements in 2019. Those retirements left the department with a number of vacancies that became difficult to fill as the pandemic raged in 2020, Johnson said.
That year, 2020, also took a toll on police, Johnson said, after the murder of George Floyd. His death sparked protests nationwide against police brutality.
“You had individuals either retiring before maxing out their pension or just resigning and leaving the field altogether,” she said.
Since then, the number of applicants to the Oak Park Police Department has dropped significantly, Johnson said, due to a general lack of interest.
Village Hall is also not efficient for meeting the police department’s needs, Scaman said, which could be driving incoming recruits away. A new police station may be in the works following either a refurbishment or demolishment of Village Hall.
“There’s just this state of morale challenges within police departments that is not unique to Oak Park,” Scaman said.
The department also requires applicants to have at least 60 hours of college credit at an accredited college or university with a “C” grade average, according to the village website.
In River Forest, the police department is fully staffed with 30 officers, only one of whom is in the police academy. Keeping the River Forest Police Department fully staffed has been the result of modified procedures and requirements, Police Chief James O’Shea said.
For example, the department only requires 30 hours of college credit, O’Shea said. Many officers still have college degrees, but this reduced requirement allows for a wide range of candidates, he said.
River Forest also allows for lateral hires, meaning individuals with prior experience can apply. Previously, officers were not able to switch departments partially because of difficulties transferring pension, O’Shea said. The department also has automated its application process and eliminated the fee to apply.
“We’ve had good luck with these strategies,” O’Shea said.
The cost of shortages
O’Shea said continuity of service for the public, including visitors and residents, would be his concern for a police department with an officer shortage. Another concern is the physical and mental health of its officers, he said, because limited staffing could lead to burnout.
Vacancies can also result in money in the budget going unspent, Scaman said, and ways to use those dollars are ongoing conversations every budget season.
“This board works to try to be smart fiscally and always be thinking about the long-term financial burden,” Scaman said.
The police department budget has not changed significantly in Johnson’s time as chief since 2022, she said, and it will not require more money to hire new officers.
In the fiscal year 2024 budget, approved by the village board of trustees in December 2023, the police department budget was increased by 7%, the result of pension expenses and increases in salary and benefits.
Other communities are also able to give their officers bonuses, Scaman said, an additional expense the village can’t necessarily afford to compete with.
“[It’s] very important that all employees of our village feel appreciated and supported and have what they need to do their job well,” Scaman said.
Toward solutions
The Oak Park Police Department has modified its ruled to entice applicants.
For example, the department now allows lateral hires, like River Forest. It also authorizes applicants to apply without a physical agility card and eliminated the application fee.
Johnson said the department has updated recruitment videos to highlight its values as well as expanding recruitment beyond colleges to include military recruitment locations and fitness centers.
Oak Park also has also been exploring ways to relieve the pressure on police officers, Scaman said, by supporting initiatives such as the Alternative Response Plan which would have mental health officials respond to mental health calls rather than police officers.
The standards for officer recruitment are still high, despite the shortage, Scaman said, which is representative of the level of service that Oak Park residents expect.
“I don’t think it does anybody any good to just attempt to put warm body in seats,” Scaman said.
