CLAYTON, Mo. — About half of St. Louis County police officers who responded to a recent internal survey said they have considered leaving the department within the past year.
In all, 502 employees -- both commissioned and civilian -- responded to the survey. The department has 814 commissioned officers.
Of those who said they were considering leaving the department, about 17% said yes to both leaving the profession and leaving for a different department. About 16% said they had considered leaving the department for another agency only. And about 21% said they have only considered getting out of the profession.
About 63% said they would recommend the department as a place to work.
The Personnel Services Unit called it a “Stay Survey.”
“All of this feedback is invaluable in paving the way for improvements,” wrote Julie Wagner, executive director of Human Resources, in a memo that went out to officers.
Wagner also told officers the open-ended questions resulted in more than 200 pages of responses, “which has taken considerable time to thoughtfully and intentionally process.”
“We are currently formulating responses to all the concerns that were frequently mentioned,” Wagner wrote, adding that an additional email will be sent out summarizing those concerns. “We are already working hard to shift things in the right direction and appreciate your patience and trust in the process.”
The majority of officers who responded have been with the department for between 5 to 9 years. The second largest group of respondents had more than 20 years of service.
More than half of them are in the patrol unit, with the others assigned to Special Operations, Operational Support, Criminal Investigation and the Office of the Chief of Police.
Officers were also asked what they look forward to most when they come to work each day. “The people I work with,” was the most popular answer followed by “The ability to make a difference,” and then “pay and benefits.”
Officers rated their current precinct/unit’s moral as an average of 5.38 out of 10 and gave the overall department morale an average score of 4.26.
Manpower was the most frequently cited reason for those who believe morale is low or poor, followed by pay and benefits, a lack of movement/promotional opportunities, command staff and work/life balance.
Improving internal communication was cited as the No. 1 way officers believe the department can improve their experience.
