IS THE SFPD ABLE TO RECRUIT ENOUGH OFFICERS? JUST SAY NO

The San Francisco Police Department has a drug problem.

But it is not what you are thinking.

Faced with a shortfall of as many as 900 officers over the next four
years, the SFPD - like law enforcement agencies all over the country
- - is struggling to fill its ranks with recruits.

And one thing that is making it harder is the cultural shift that has
made casual drug use commonplace. Potential recruits come to the
department with an extensive, albeit recreational, history of using
drugs like ecstasy, cocaine or methamphetamine. Although specific
numbers are not available, those in the department say it is hitting
the recruiting classes hard.

That's because even when recruits sign up, many end up flunking the
drug standard - either because they admit to recent use or are caught
lying about how much, how often and how recently they have used drugs.

"We are losing a significant number of our recruits in the early
stages of the background check," says Sgt. Dennis Callaghan, who is
in charge of the background unit. "A substantial number of candidates
fail to meet our drug policy."

"This is a huge issue," says Gary Delagnes, president of the Police
Officers Association. "And it is something that all law enforcement
agencies are having trouble with."

As a result, police departments are being forced to reconsider how
they are drawing the line. Even the super-strict FBI has reconsidered
its policies, according to reports. And the Los Angeles Police
Department, which had a zero tolerance policy for years, has recently
softened its stance.

"You can't use 1950s standards and apply them today," LAPD Officer
Kenneth Garner told a reporter for PBS in September. "We're not
opening up the floodgates, but we are being realistic in the 21st
century and saying that some kids will experiment with drugs."

Sgt. Trenia Wearing, a recruiting officer for SFPD, says it is simply
a matter of facing reality.

"When I came into the department 12 years ago, we had maybe two out
of 10 recruits who said they experimented with marijuana," says Sgt.
Trenia Wearing, a recruiting officer for SFPD. "Now it is like, 8 or
9 out of 10. Now when you get this candidate who says he never smoked
weed, a person who says he's done absolutely nothing - you wonder,
'What's really going on here?' "

San Francisco officials were reluctant to talk specifically about the
type, frequency and currency of drug use that would disqualify a recruit.

"There's a cutoff and a time frame (for most recent use of drugs)
that is not negotiable," says Sgt. Callaghan. "And it would be fair
to say that a substantial number of our candidates fail to meet our
drug policy standards."

But it is an open secret that the SFPD is likely to cut potential
recruits more slack than in the past.

"It's all subjective," Delagnes says. "All subject to interpretation."

For example, Delagnes says, if a promising recruit admits that he
used drugs, perhaps even cocaine or ecstasy, a few times five years
ago, he might still pass. But if he says the last time was two months
ago, "He's done. No way he gets in."

"The department is being pretty strict, and rightfully so," says Sgt.
Steve Mannina, a department spokesman.

And he's got a point. Have you heard any protests that the Police
Department isn't letting enough cocaine users into uniform?

But SFPD, like many other agencies, may feel it doesn't have much
choice. With a desperate need for officers, recruits are washing out
at a remarkable rate. Delagnes says, "For every 100 people that fill
out an application, four will make it to the police academy. And only
two to three will actually make it to the streets."

There are several reasons for the high rate of flunking out, but drug
use is a major factor. Some recruits exclude themselves by admitting
drug use, some flunk a drug test, and some are caught lying about how
often and how recently they used drugs.

"They strap you to a lie detector," says Delagnes. "They started
using a polygraph 10 or 15 years ago and you can't B.S. them. I'm
just glad they weren't using them when I applied. I never would have got in."

It makes recruiting a tough job. Callaghan says that to hire 250
officers, he has to process as many as 1,250 potential candidates.
That's a lot of pressure on someone like Wearing, who has to attract
a generation that has its own ideas about how cop jobs should be structured.

"They love the idea of a salary," she says, "but they don't want to
start out on the street. They say they don't want to work nights.
They want a day shift with weekends off. It's funny to us, but
they're serious."

So is the shortage of officers. Delagnes says that in the next four
years 580 San Francisco officers - one-fourth of the police force -
will be eligible for retirement. In addition, the city is 250 to 275
officers short of the total of 1,971 that was mandated by city voters in 1994.

"Add to that," Delagnes says, "the 25 cops we lose each year to other
agencies and the 10 to 15 we lose to disability and whatnot," and the
total is close to 900. No wonder the department is trying to get
retirement-age cops to stay on the job.

Delagnes says there are 11,000 unfilled law enforcement jobs in
California. The shortage of candidates, combined with the demand to
hire, has left departments competing for recruits.

Whether it is generational or not, it is true that there is much less
enthusiasm for a career in law enforcement. A huge number of Baby
Boomers joined police forces all over the country after the Vietnam
War. But now those Boomers are retiring and where are their replacements?

"I was at a function the other night," Delagnes said. "And a guy
said, 'Do we really want a bunch of 55-year-old cops?' I said, 'Would
you rather have that or none?' "

Or one with a history of drug use?