Five years ago, the Middletown Police Department could expect hundreds of applicants whenever it advertised a new position for a police officer. This year, Middletown Police Chief Erik Costa, says the department saw only a fraction of that number.
“Years past we would see upwards of 200 applicants,” Costa said. “This year we only had 23, and only one of them is going to the academy in April.”
Police and fire departments across Connecticut are reporting similar drops in recruitment and retention. The shortage could become more serious in the coming years; nearly 175 state troopers will become eligible to retire by December 2027, that’s nearly 20% of the entire state police force.
State lawmakers are now exploring ways to attract and retain the next generation of public safety workers.
House Bill 5046, introduced by Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration, would incentivize people to become police officer or firefighters. The goal of the bill would also be to retain more of those employees. Tuesday, the General Assembly’s Public Safety and Security Committee voted in favor of the bill.
It would offer tuition waivers for eligible police officers and firefighters who have served in their role for at least five years. The waivers would be accepted at schools within The Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system (CSCU). Similar benefits already exist in state law for certain groups, including military veterans.
The bill also directs the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) to develop a mortgage assistance program for public safety workers purchasing homes in the towns where they serve.
The program could include down-payment support or other housing subsidies aimed at making homeownership more attainable.
Gov. Ned Lamont visited the Hartford Public Safety Complex where he shared details about the bill and highlighted why he believes it should be supported.
“We have the best-trained, most professional police and firefighters in the country, and we have to continue to make sure this is a profession that [we all know] how incredibly important it is,” Lamont said. The proposed bill comes as police departments across the state continue to navigate recruitment challenges that grew after national protests over policing several years ago.
“I think that’s a nationwide trend,” said New Haven Acting Police Chief Dave Zannelli. “There was a lot of negative attention on policing around that time, and people didn’t fully understand some of the reforms that were happening.”
That period coincided with the passage of Connecticut’s sweeping police accountability law. The bill introduced stricter use-of-force standards and expanded training requirements, and created new oversight mechanisms for police departments across the state.
As a result, police officers now receive additional training, including adjustments for expanded body camera policies, and departments are required to document and review more use-of-force incidents.
“We had the recruitment issue for a while, and it was pretty much a perfect combination of people not understanding the Accountability Act fully, and our salary was not in line with industry standards in the state,” Zannelli said.
In good news, Zannelli said these issues have largely self-corrected; hiring has begun to rebound, and the New Haven Police Department recently graduated its largest police academy class in nearly a decade.
Still, rebuilding the pipeline of future officers will take time. New education and housing incentives could help make public safety careers more attractive, according to the National Guard Association of Connecticut.
If the bill becomes law, tuition waivers would take effect in July, and the housing assistance program is expected to launch next year.
