Portland police are struggling to fill officer vacancies as recruits wash out during probation at about double the rate they have in the past according to Oregon Live.
The bureau currently has 75 unfilled officer positions.
The bureau hired more officers from mid-2016 to mid-2018, but more of them are flunking out of the state’s basic police academy or failing to make it through Portland’s 18-month probation period, Assistant Chief Chris Davis said.
Twenty to 25 percent of those recruits didn’t make it through probation successfully and are no longer working for the bureau, compared to the more typical 10 to 15 percent drop-out rate, according to city figures.
The failed recruits couldn’t perform on the job, had problems multi-tasking or making good decisions under stress during field training, Davis said. Others decided on their own that the job wasn’t working out for them or were terminated due to misconduct, he said.
