Former Wisconsin Sheriff says biggest threat to police is mass exodus of officers

Former Milwaukee, Wisconsin Sheriff David Clarke said that one of the biggest threats to police departments is the amount of officers leaving the field and retiring early.

"Cops are leaving early," Clarke said on the Thursday edition of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "Some are leaving even before their pension kicks in. It's just not worth it anymore."

Clarke blames the "war on cops," which he says has been happening for almost a decade, for the growing trend.

"I predicted this in 2014," he stated. "When the war on cops started after Ferguson, Missouri, I said this was going to have a long term detrimental effect on law enforcement agencies' ability to attract, hire, and retain good officers."

These personnel difficulties are happening in major cities in the United States, especially New York City.

According to data obtained by the New York Post, 239 officers resigned from the force in January and February, a spike of 36% over the same period from last year. NYPD pension data shows that there has been a 117% jump in resignations since 2021.

Clarke says another effect of this issue is the lowering of standards to hire officers from struggling police departments. 

"What you're seeing now instead, departments are having to lower their standards," he said. "That's a slippery slope as well. I don't really have the answer for that."