Scoop: Denver police won't meet mayor's hiring goal
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Denver Police won't meet Mayor Mike Johnston's 2024 goal to hire 167 new officers, Axios Denver has learned.
The big picture: Denver police Chief Ron Thomas says changes to the department's hiring process — including a shortened entry-level test and reduced training period for some new officers — aim to lure more officers starting next year.
Why it matters: The changes resurface concerns about lowering recruiting standards and the quality of applicants seeking to wear Denver's badge, driven by Johnston's aggressive push to fill the department ranks.
What they're saying: "It's never been my belief that we needed to lower standards in order to get quality candidates," Thomas tells us, though he acknowledged his agency will miss its 2024 mark.
- Johnston in a statement to Axios Denver defended the new hiring process but didn't comment on missing his hiring goal.
By the numbers: DPD had 1,528 officers as of Nov. 15 — 93% of its "authorized strength," or the maximum number of officers it can employ — after adding 123 new officers this year.
State of play: Thomas credits Denver Civil Service Commission executive director Gracie Perez with improving the department's recruitment outlook.
- The agency Perez leads hires and promotes public safety staff. She took over in August from Niecy Murray, who claims she was fired in May after accusing the mayor of lowering public safety hiring standards.
Zoom in: The entry-level test that will be administered starting Jan. 1 costs less ($34, down from $65) and includes significantly fewer questions (50, a drop from 619), than the current test, according to a chart provided by Perez.
- The test takes far less time to complete (roughly 40 minutes versus four-plus hours) and was previously available only on desktop or laptop, but can now be completed on mobile devices.
- DPD announced last week it will reduce training for lateral hires from 26 weeks to four weeks for officers already certified by the state. DPD had three lateral hires this year.
Zoom out: Police departments elsewhere in the country are changing standards by lowering fitness thresholds and expanding applicant eligibility, including allowing noncitizens to join their ranks, which Denver voters approved this fall.
What's next: DPD plans to hire 30 more officers for its fourth cadet class in 2024, which starts Dec. 30, per Denver police spokesperson Doug Schepman.
- Thomas tells us he's "confident" the agency's recruiting efforts will improve as it faces a new hiring goal of 168 officers outlined in Johnston's 2025 budget.