Labor Shortage

Syracuse police officers graduate from training.

Shortage of Workers Hurting Police Departments

Departments throughout CNY have struggled to hire enough officers and are embracing new strategies as they attempt to recruit

By Ken Sturtz

Lt. Matthew Malinowski remembers angling for a job with the Syracuse Police Department a little over a decade ago when 800 people took the entrance exam to fill just 30 openings.

That wasn’t unusual.

The department used to have as many as 2,000 people take the exam.

“Back then you had to really fight for the position,” he said. “But now it’s much different.”

Police departments throughout Central New York are confronting severe challenges in recruiting as they attempt to replenish their depleted ranks and are frequently adopting new strategies to attract officers.

Because police officers can retire after 20 years, most departments need a steady flow of recruits to maintain staffing levels. It typically takes up to a year for new hires to complete all the required training and be working independently.

In Syracuse the flow of recruits has slowed to a trickle. The department had at least 40 openings to fill, but after physical tests, medical exams and background checks it was only able to hire four people for its academy class.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office is dealing with staffing shortages across the entire agency, including the police department and its custody and correction departments, which oversee the county jail, said Sgt. Jon Seeber.

“We’re doing more with less at this point,” he said.

The sheriff’s office is lacking about 20 deputies on patrol and 30 deputies in custody and correction, Seeber said, and the agency has struggled to maintain minimum staffing levels.

In the past 400-500 people might have taken the county’s civil service exam. More recently the number has been closer to 100 for the police exam and just 30 for the last custody and correction exam. After all the tests and a background check, the most recent police academy started with only 20 recruits, Seeber said. And a few people usually quit before completing training.

The struggle to recruit police officers is not limited to Central New York.

Agencies around the country have faced similar challenges. Even the New York State Police, which has long had a seemingly endless supply of applicants thanks to its statewide reach and high starting salary — $58,443 during academy training, increasing to $82,677 after one year — has felt the strain.

“We’re no different than any other police agency in terms of the challeng-

ABOVE: Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office recruitment table. RIGHT: Diane Brand is a retired police officer who teaches criminal justice at SUNY Oswego. “It used to be considered a blue-collar job where just anybody could do it,” she says.

es,” said Beau Duffy, a spokesman for the troopers. “Certainly, young people have a lot of career choices and so there’s a lot of competition to begin with.”

The staffing issue has many causes. A steady exodus of officers has increased the number of open positions.

Historically low unemployment has left many industries hurting for workers and a competitive job market is luring away talent from law enforcement. The military has similarly struggled with recruiting and retention; 19% of police officers nationwide are veterans, far greater than the population at large.

The requirements for a career in law enforcement have also changed significantly over the last 30 years, edging out some otherwise qualified applicants, said Diane Brand, a retired police officer who teaches criminal justice at SUNY Oswego. Recruits today need more education, better communication skills and an understanding of mental health issues.

“It used to be considered a blue-collar job where just anybody could do it,” she said. “But now it’s a profession and we are demanding and requiring that police candidates meet certain levels of professionalism.”

The pandemic made it harder for departments to recruit in person. And a portion of applicants also struggle to meet the physical requirements, Brand said.

“I tell my students who are interested in careers in law enforcement to start working out now,” she said.

Several police officials pointed to a portrayal in recent years of law enforcement in a negative light as a significant factor in recruiting challenges.

“It’s not as noble a profession as it was once looked upon by the community,” said Oswego County Undersheriff John Toomey, noting that when he entered law enforcement in the 1980s it was a widely respected and desirable career. “Unfortunately, with the current atmosphere toward policing it’s not looked at the same so we don’t have as many people take the test.”

An ongoing national reckoning over the role of policing has been divisive, becoming a polarizing political issue, fueling mass protests and jumpstarting reform efforts which have drawn varying degrees of support and outrage from police critics and law enforcement.

In 2020, protests erupted nationwide when George Floyd was killed while in Minneapolis police custody. Other high-profile civilian deaths at the hands of police have roiled the national conversation on policing.

Malinowski said an anti-police movement has painted law enforcement in a very negative light and with a broad brush. An incident that occurs hundreds or even thousands of miles away can go viral on social media and unfairly hurt the image of police here in Central New York, he said.

“So that had a real effect to the point where people just don’t even want to be police officers and that becomes our challenge,” he said.

Law enforcement has long faced more scrutiny than other professions, Brand said, but changes in technology have helped amplify it.

“And with the advent of social media and cell phones they get a lot of scrutiny and a lot of attention when they screw up, but a lot of times they don’t get the recognition when they do something good,” she said.

As competition for officers has increased, departments have become

more aggressive in their recruiting efforts.

Police agencies have made their recruitment and hiring processes easier for applicants, said Kristina Simonsen, associate director for employer relations at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

Simonsen advises students applying for jobs in law enforcement and organizes career fairs. She said because of the NYPD’s meager starting salary – $42,500 – departments from around the country visit to recruit. A growing trend is for departments to offer their written and physical exams, as well as job interviews, on site on the same day.

“They are trying to be more accessible,” she said. “They’re trying to streamline the hiring process.”

That’s a strategy the sheriff’s office in Onondaga County has adopted, Seeber said. The county waived the $30 fee to take the civil service exam to encourage people to sign up. And the sheriff’s office purchased iPads for events so potential applicants could sign up for exam notifications on the spot.

“Normally we’d have to tell them to go home and sign up for the test notification,” Seeber said.

Deputies also switched to casual attire, wearing department-issued polo shirts when recruiting instead of their full uniforms and equipment in an effort to appear less intimidating and more approachable to potential applicants.

The sheriff’s office ran a recruitment campaign using social media, radio ads and billboards, and offers tours of the jail and a ride along program. But Seeber said deputies don’t spend much time talking about the starting salary — $55,668 — or opportunities in the sheriff’s office. Instead, much of their time is spent just getting people to take the first step in the hiring process.

“Our toughest thing right now is not about us selling somebody on working for us, it’s about coming to take the test” he said. “We have to know you can pass the test and that you’re interested in the job.”

Deputy Chief Zachary Misztal, of the Oswego Police Department, said that while hiring has remained challenging, with fewer people taking the police exams, Oswego police have managed to avoid the severe staffing shortages plaguing other departments by hiring as positions open up and by offering a competitive pay scale. The department’s starting salary of $61,368 increases in five years to a base pay of $80,739.

He said the department also emphasizes in its recruiting that Oswego is a good place to live and that the community is supportive of law enforcement.

Syracuse police are seeking to entice potential recruits with a $5,000 signing bonus in addition to the $56,490 starting salary. The department hired a public relations firm to help it improve its image. Its social media pages regularly show professional photos and videos of officers interacting with the community.

Malinowski said the department has tried to be more creative in its efforts to recruit a diverse staff, particularly because of the difficulty of recruiting in neighborhoods that may be overpoliced as a result of crime.

Earlier this year the city started a Junior Cadet Program to help residents gain training and work experience that will assist them in pursuing a law enforcement career. The 50-week program includes 20 hours a week of classroom instruction and physical training and as well as 20 hours a week of paid work experience throughout the police department. Upon completion recruits are eligible for full-time civilian jobs until they get accepted into the police academy.

The pandemic forced the state police to cancel several academy classes. Its staffing level, which is around 5,000 troopers, dropped by several hundred troopers as a result.

The agency’s entrance exam, which is given every four years, was made available through a computerized testing process for the first time in 2022. In the past, candidates were required to take a written exam at a specific date and location. Instead candidates were able to visit testing centers around the state and country to take the exam at a time of their choosing.

“We were just trying to make the exam more accessible to everybody,” Duffy said.

The state police launched an outreach campaign in 2021 and 2022, with a focus on attracting more minorities and women.

Duffy said other recruiting efforts included emphasizing the numerous opportunities for advancement and growth that come with a larger agency. And for the first time the troopers relaxed their strict policy that disqualified candidates with any tattoos visible with a uniform on.

The Oswego County Sheriff’s Office is trying to fill openings for deputies in patrol and the county jail, but its starting salary of $51,196 is lower than some other agencies. Toomey said they talk up others perks. Deputies work on 12-hour shifts instead of 8-hour shifts, which means fewer days of work and more time off throughout the year. Deputies also take their vehicles home and don’t have to drive in for roll call before starting their shifts.

Toomey said the lengths departments are willing to go to in an effort to recruit candidates is a remarkable departure from the hiring landscape when he entered policing decades ago.

“Before when you got offered you took the job wherever you were offered it because you just wanted to get into law enforcement,” he said. “Now when the list comes out we’re all scrambling to do interviews and get people in here so we can make the offer and the pitch.”

CHENA TUCKER: A CATALYST FOR CHANGE

Head of SUNY Oswego’s Office of Business and Community Relations now at the helm of Shineman Foundation

By Stefan Yablonski

Chena Tucker was named director of the Richard S. Shineman Foundation on Nov. 1. The vision of the foundation is to become a “Catalyst for Change.” It’s a vision she shares.

“I’m getting my head wrapped around everything right now. We are going through our first grant round, so it’s been a lot of meetings with regional philanthropists, local nonprofits and community members looking for funds to support their missions and make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

The grant funds that are awarded are part of an endowment. Richard Shineman was a professor at the college. After he died, his wife, Barbara, set up the foundation and invested the funds for this purpose.

Richard Shineman turned over his family’s fortune to make a positive change in this community — it is truly a debt of gratitude, Tucker said.

Karen Goetz retired after serving eight years as the foundation’s executive director.

Did she give her successor any advice?

“I got one day of training. She and her husband, Jeff, were moving. The timing didn’t work out for us to do too much,” Tucker said. “Before that, I did work alongside Karen on several different initiatives and was on the receiving end of some foundation grants.”

From Oswego, Tucker graduated from Oswego High School in 1993.

She said she didn’t have any major in high school, “but I knew that I wanted to relocate and see what was out there.”

So, she moved to Oregon, and was there for 13 years.

“I went to school for interior design and was planning to finish my credits for a bachelor of arts in architecture at Portland State,” she said. “But, after 13 years, I decided to move back to here. Portland was getting crowded and expensive.”

While in school, she also took some business courses, “in case I decided to go out on my own,” she said. “I earned a certificate in business administration and once I started taking business courses, I really loved it. So I kind of shifted gears.”

When she moved back to Oswego, she started looking at local opportunities.

“I was hired at the college [SUNY Oswego] in the community relations and small business development center in 2011,” she said. “Before that, I dabbled a bit in freelance design work — but not much. This area does not have much of a market for interior design.”

While out west, she worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry to help put herself through college.

“That’s how I got by — paid the bills and paid for school,” she explained. “In Oregon, restaurants are required by law to pay servers minimum wage. And, the company I worked for offered health insurance and 401K — not bad for the service industry.”

The skills she learned working at the Office of Business and Community Relations at SUNY Oswego have helped her in her new job.

“Absolutely, we ran several distinct programs, worked with many nonprofits and managed grants and budgets,” she said.

Initially, Tucker’s first job at the college was a part-time position as a business liaison.

“From there, I was promoted into a full-time position as assistant project manager; then promoted to project manager, associate director, and lastly, director of the Office of Business and Community Relations at SUNY Oswego,” she said. “I rose through the ranks —all while earning my MBA while at the college.”

She oversaw federal and state contracts, grant development and management, and community engagement.

“We provided grant oversight, which gave me that background and I also managed the internal budget for the office. In addition, we provided professional development, training and strategic planning and facilitation,” she said. “We also worked on program development, community relations and government relations.”

She was a member of numerous committees during her tenure and remains on some today.

“I am still on some; but not all, some didn’t align with my new position. I’ve transitioned off those,” she said.

She still sits on Operation Oswego County’s board, Oswego County Community Foundation’s advisory council and Leadership Oswego County’s advisory council.

“I am sure I will add some more to the list in the coming months,” she said.

How does she find time for everything?

“That’s a good question,” she laughed. “You do the best that you can. There are times in life that are busier and hectic and times when things slow down a little bit so you can get caught up. You have to prioritize. It’s always a process. You have to make sure you get to the things that are the most important, that includes yourself — taking time to enjoy life.”

“For fun, I go hiking and on road trips. I spend time at the lake. I have a dog, Whitney — she’s a rescue. I love to cook. I read a lot and I’m taking a dance class!” she said. “What I really love is traveling. Travel has been a lifelong goal and something I always look forward to. I have traveled throughout the US and have just a dozen or so states I have yet to go to. I want to travel abroad. I was scheduled to go to China right before the pandemic hit, but that was canceled, obviously. I’ve been to Costa Rica and will be going to Thailand this February. I’ve decided to do more international travel — there is a big, beautiful world out there.”

Shineman Foundation launched in 2012.

“I’ve seen the dramatic impact that their support has had on the community. I want to help support that mission — help support nonprofits and address the critical issues in our community. Many of these are quality of life issues — from literacy and education to employment and training, arts, culture and recreation. There are so many,” she said.

There are a lot of different ways the foundation can effect positive change, she added.

“Since my position at the foundation was made public, I have received so much support and congratulations — I appreciate it,” she said. “This [job] is, you know, one of those dream come true jobs. What I value and the work that the foundation does are aligned, it’s meaningful, and I think this is a good match for me. I want to continue to support their mission — be a catalyst for change!”

Staffing Shortages Plague Development Teams at CNY Nonprofits

The professionals who raise money for nonprofits are leaving and replacing them isn’t easy. That’s bad news for charities

By Ken Sturtz

When Beth Hoey started a career in nonprofit development 30 years ago she knew all the key players in Central New York, many of whom had been in their positions for years.

“It used to be from a development director perspective you knew every development director, you could name them all,” she said. “Right now, I would have trouble naming who is where and I like to think I’m connected to the community.”

Charitable organizations across Central New York are struggling to fill open positions on development teams — whose fundraising is the lifeblood of nonprofits — and as a result of high turnover are confronting a shortage of experienced fundraising professionals.

“For a while there’s been really a crisis in retaining development people,” said Hoey, who currently serves as executive director of the Foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.

In the past it was typical to see a few postings at a time on local job boards for open development positions, she said. Today, it’s not uncommon to find a dozen openings at a time, including many development director roles.

Labor shortages have been common as the country continues to experience historically low unemployment, but the dearth of development staff is a widespread problem that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic and has only grown worse since, experts say.

“I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding on the part of boards and leadership staff of nonprofits of the process of fund development and the culture of philanthropy,” said Elizabeth Quilter, a nonprofit consultant who previously served as chief development officer for the YMCA of Greater Syracuse.

Nonprofits tend to focus on their mission to the detriment of development, she said. Fundraising and development are frequently thought of as secondary or a necessary evil for the organization to do the work that really matters.

But viewing development only in terms of generating revenue can lead nonprofits to hold unrealistic fundraising expectations that are inconsistent with building a sustainable donor program, Quilter said. Deficit fundraising — setting fundraising goals to bridge a gap in the budget — is a common and often short-sighted strategy.

In particular, smaller nonprofits or struggling organizations sometimes hire someone to run their fundraising in the belief that they’ll act as a cureall, solving the organization’s financial problems in short order.

“People think they will hire a development director, not give them resources needed to actually establish a successful sustainable program and have an expectation that in a short amount of time all of the gaps of resources will be filled somehow,” Quilter said.

In reality building a robust, comprehensive fundraising program can take years. High turnover makes the task even more challenging. Without continuity on development teams it becomes harder to maintain consistent relationships with supporters and work on developing major gifts.

Unrealistic expectations often set development professionals up for failure in the long run.

People beginning their careers

Julie Billings is a nonprofit consultant who has worked in fundraising in Central New York for several decades.

typically start off excited and energetic about contributing to a meaningful mission, but burnout and turnover is common once they advance beyond entry-level positions, said Julie Billings, a nonprofit consultant who has worked in fundraising in Central New York for several decades. One industry survey found that the average fundraiser stays at their job for a mere 16 months before leaving for another position.

“The mid-tier of development professionals is missing right now,” Billings said. “There’s a lot of people that have just started or the old-timers of fundraising who have been in it for years.”

The pressure on mid-tier staff from supervisors and nonprofit boards to hit fundraising goals can be intense. One of the hardest aspects of fundraising is that if an individual or team hits their goal the goal often increases the following year, Billings said. And there’s no guarantee that an organization’s supporters can increase their donations accordingly.

Development is rarely a 9-5 job. Successful fundraisers find themselves constantly on the lookout for opportunities because every new contact is a potential donor.

Development professionals are often forced to juggle multiple roles, especially at smaller organizations. It’s not uncommon for someone to be responsible for everything from grant writing, event planning and donor development, to database entry, marketing and direct mail fundraising. At many nonprofits public relations also falls to development staff.

Being overworked and underpaid compared to similar jobs in the for-profit sector causes many to consider a career change, Billings said. The pandemic increased pressure on fundraisers — canceling events, nixing in-person relationship-building with donors and scrambling budgets — while causing many to prioritize a better work-life balance.

“It’s just hard to see that experience being lost, because they’re completely leaving the industry in a lot of cases,” Billings said.

The pressure on development teams is partly the result of more nonprofits competing for the same dollars.

Billings said she’s witnessed the number of nonprofits soar since entering the field decades ago. In 2021, there were more than 90,000 charities registered with the state Charities Bureau.

Nonprofits are confronting an aging donor population in Central New York, she said, further increasing competition. And young people are less likely to donate to charity than their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.

“They’ve been extremely generous throughout the years and the amount of philanthropic dollars that is in Central New York is so impressive,” Billings said. “But donors are declining as the population declines.”

Retaining experienced staff will require wholesale changes in how nonprofits approach development work, experts said. Development teams often operate on shoestring budgets and are frequently one of the first things on the chopping block when budget cuts are necessary.

“It’s not seen as a needed department even though it’s many times one of the only revenue- generating departments in a nonprofit,” Billings said.

Nonprofits need to commit to building sustainable development programs. She said that includes making sure their teams have the resources they need, such as technology and training, so they can focus on the task of building relationships with donors.

Relationships are crucial to retaining donors, something most nonprofits struggle with and don’t put enough energy into, Quilter said. Eight out of 10 first-time donors don’t give to a charity a second time. One of the top reasons given when people stop donating is

Elizabeth Quilter is a nonprofit consultant who previously served as chief development officer for the YMCA of Greater Syracuse.

that they believe the organization didn’t need their support.

That means many organizations end up in a vicious cycle of constantly trying to find new donors to replace the ones they’re losing.

“They don’t believe that having a solid annual fund program and retaining and stewarding those donors is the right answer,” she said. “By looking at it short-term they’re really crippling themselves long-term.”

Instead, many nonprofits put more time and resources into special events and seeking corporate funding. Individual donors represent the largest source of funding for nonprofits – about 70 percent on average – and maintaining that funding stream means building a sustainable development program long-term.

Corporate support typically makes up less than 10 percent of an organization’s funding. Special events, such as auctions, golf tournaments and galas can be a good way to introduce people to an organization’s mission, Quilter said. But they’re some of the most expensive and labor-intensive methods of fundraising and generally don’t help with an organization’s long-term sustainability.

A nonprofit should plan on a three to five-year timeline to build a comprehensive fundraising program, Quilter said, especially since the lead time for major gifts is typically 18-24 months.

In development people too often focus on money instead of the mission, Hoey said, and there’s always a danger of making the process transactional instead of relational.

“People are not ATMs and it’s not about the transaction of the person giving you the money or giving you the check,” she said. “That’s actually one second of years of work and relationship- building.”

Rather than focusing solely on the organization’s needs, Hoey said nonprofits would do well to adopt the philosophy that fundraising isn’t just a means to an end. The process of development and the act of giving should be considered as vital as the work of the frontline employees.

“It’s people knowing they make a difference and being part of something bigger than themselves and all coming together and working together to help our community and that takes relationships,” she said.

KEEP YOUR LIGHTS ON. EVEN WHEN THE POWER’S OUT.

315.564.9975 dmshaver.com

Standby Generator Systems – Sales • Service • Installation

WE MAKE . HOSE ASSEMBLIES WHILE YOU WAIT 8389 ST. RTE. 104, OSWEGO, NY 13126

Hydraulic Hoses - Fittings - Supplies Diagnostics - Engines - Electrical Systems 315-591-3781 / (315) 776-2348

ISO 9001:2015 REGISTERED

• Full service CNC precision machine shop • Specializing in vertical and horizontal machining • Small to large capacity • Production of one to thousands Phone: (315) 598-2900 Fax: (315) 598-4210 www.fultontool.com