“Knowing that anything can happen on any call and trying to be as prepared as you can for everything.” “Toughest part has to be the mental aspect of it,” he said. The hardest part though, according to Wise, is the mental exercise. Other factors include both COVID-19 and public perception of law enforcement after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020.Īfter early-morning PT, then it’s two hours of academics and four hours of specialized training, like firearms or driving. “Would that bring you the satisfaction of knowing that you did something to make the world a little bit better?” But what we need to do as citizens is sit down and decide is that really what we want to spend the rest of our lives doing?” Langdon said.

“Yes, there are other places where it might look like there is more money for less work. One factor that could be affecting the shortage is the rise of higher-paying, easier jobs. “Everything looks better on the other side of the fence when you’re having a bad day or when you’re looking for that next greatest thing.” “Speaking candidly, I would say that that shortage comes from an unrealistic expectation people have these days,” Sgt. This year, roughly halfway through, and it’s down to 17.

Depending on the year, the academy usually graduates somewhere between 25 and 40 graduates. This class of recruits is smaller than usual. But one in particular is law enforcement. The labor shortage has hit many industries around the country hard. “Tried the military for four years, and I was like, well, let’s see how the police officer thing goes.” “It was a childhood dream to either do the military or be a police officer,” Wise said. Once he left after four years, he couldn’t ignore the call to continue serving his community. Wise started his career as an engineer for the Marines. “Been in training about two or three months now,” he said. Nathan Wise joined the program recently after four years in the Marines There are several different factors, such as public perception and the rise of easier jobs

Law enforcement around the country is struggling with staffing shortage “But being on the ride-alongs I’ve been on, it’s different every day, and it’s challenging.” “It’s hard to say because I’m not a police officer yet,” recruit Nathan Wise said about his favorite part of the department. But for the recruits in the Winston-Salem Police Academy, it’s just part of the job. Working out in the 30-degree morning weather isn’t for everyone.

Winston salem police department