Police recruiting: California self-destructs; It’s often said California sets trends for the rest of America

American Thinker ^ | 01/24/2024 | Mike McDaniel

[SeekAndFind]

Americans are used to calling their local police and receiving a rapid response. Or at least they were—in some places—some of the time. A case in point is Alameda, California, which like the rest of California, is self-destructing:  

Alameda is a city located in Alameda County California. Alameda has a 2024 population of 70,742. Alameda is currently declining at a rate of -2.52% annually and its population has decreased by -9.69% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 78,333 in 2020. 

The average household income in Alameda is $152,950 with a poverty rate of 6.79%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Alameda is 40.6 years, 39 years for males, and 42.1years for females.

Alameda, between Oakland and San Francisco is about 46% white, 31% Asian and 6% black. An average household income of nearly $153,000 may sound high, but in the bay area, it’s not much.

Graphic: google maps screenshot  

Like so many blue cities, Alameda has another serious problem: they can’t recruit police officers:

The Alameda, California Police Department is offering new recruits a $75,000 signing bonus – the highest in the nation – on top of a $113,654 starting salary, which is more than officers make in major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.  

But the department is still struggling to recruit, despite the hefty financial incentives.

That high starting salary, which most American officers would think a financial windfall, is minimal for the Bay area.

[SeekAndFind]

Joel Aylworth, a former San Francisco police officer, explained that the recruiting crisis is the result of an extremely high cost of living in areas that need officers and more than a decade of anti-law enforcement rhetoric.

"This has been building up for over 10 years," Aylworth said on "Fox & Friends" Friday. 

"I can remember back in Occupy Wall Street, that's like almost 15 years ago, where this anti-police, vitriolic narrative has been being pushed on and on."

Law enforcement officials have told Fox News that negative rhetoric has come from both sides of the political aisle and poses concerns for law enforcement officers everywhere, from small-town departments to FBI agents.

Alyworth told host Steve Doocy that his $200,000 salary wasn’t enough in San Francisco. "I told my wife, ‘we will never be able to afford a home here’ because I just can't catch up," he said.

[brownsfan]

California does set the trend for the country. I’ve watched it happen so many times over the years. The really disturbing thing is watching really negative things take hold in California, thinking, “no way that comes here”. Ten years later, I’m thinking “damn you California!”

[linMcHlp]

bttt

[Leep]

If California sets the trend for everyone else...then why can I walk down the street without stepping in human excitement?

[drwoof]

Capable working people are fleeing the state.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: ..then why can I walk down the street without stepping in human excitement?

Because what’s happening in California hasn’t reached your state (yet). But give it time....

[The Louiswu]

Just hire these guys...

[Carry_Okie]

Nice town. Beautifully situated. Easily defended with little escape for a bad guy (two bridges and a tunnel). Far safer than Oakland.

So I'm a bit surprised they can't find candidates. I'd be the problem is the courts.

[dhs12345]

And while chaos reigns, average hardworking taxpaying citizens cannot defend themselves.

But the voters voted for this insanity. I only feel sorry for the voters who didn’t vote for it.

You reap what you sow.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I thought that’s why Gruesome Newsom was going to start hiring former cheap labor, illegal alien strawberry pickers to be police officers. Paying real police officers can get expensive.

[Bon of Babble]

Well, then they’ll have to recruit from all those 10 million new “migrants” that have flooded across the border.

Non-citizens welcome to apply!

[Leep]

Excrement is not excitement.

[VanShuyten]

They just need to call their local cartel recruiter. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to send over a couple of dozen of his boys to sign up to be cops.

[Bon of Babble]

Yep. To be bribed and paid off by the cartels immediately to either look the other way or help the cartels as large amounts of fentanyl flood into the Bay Area.

There were only 800 fentanyl deaths last year on the Streets of San Francisco.

[Jeff Chandler]

Droogs for hire?

[Steely Tom]

Moloko Synthemesc.

[bobbo666]

Alameda is where you can live and then commute into the ‘Ellhole that is Oakland. All entry points are kinda hidden away under bridges and such. It’s almost like a gated community.

However, they did vote blue — and are gonna pay for it.

Good. Burn baby, burn.

[Bishop_Malachi]

It’s often said California sets trends for the rest of America

________________________________________________________

Ooooohhhhh...so that’s why the country increasingly sucks....I see.

[The Louiswu]

"Droogs for hire?"

A little bit of the ultra violence then pop off to the milk bar for some old in out, in out, that'll fix San Franny