Some police officers looking to relocate to more cop-friendly departments
Law Enforcement Move helps officers dissatisfied at precincts where they are currently working find new police departments
Morale among police departments across the country is low, leading some officers to relocate to more police-friendly areas. FOX Business’ Ashley Webster with more.
Some police officers are said to be considering relocating for work after weeks of verbal and physical attacks on law enforcement and calls for agencies to be defunded.
Parts of the country are seeking a police officer “exodus” in the wake of protests related to the May 25 death of Minnesota man George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes despite Floyd’s shouts that he could not breathe.
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The unrest caused by Floyd's killing has reverberated throughout the country and further strained the relationship between the police and the public.
Law Enforcement Move is a new service that helps law enforcement officers who are dissatisfied at precincts where they are currently employed find new police departments where they can go.
Law Enforcement Move President Paul Chabot on helping law enforcement and police officers move into police-friendly regions of America as anti-police tensions rise.
“They’re looking to say, ‘Where can I survive with my family? Where can I retire for a good life?’ And quite honestly, the exodus is already happening,” company founder Paul Chabot told FOX Business. “I think it’s going to continue dramatically as we see the anti-police movement moving in this country.”
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In its first day alone, Law Enforcement Move received 4,497 website visits, more than 1,000 emails and roughly 500 phone calls, the company said.
In Minneapolis, for example, at least seven police officers had quit and another seven were in the process of resigning as of Sunday, citing a lack of support from department and city leaders. A majority of City Council members support dismantling or defunding the department.
Officers "don’t feel appreciated,” Mylan Masson, a retired Minneapolis officer and use-of-force expert, told The Associated Press. “Everybody hates the police right now. I mean everybody.”
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Deputy Chief Henry Halvorson said in an email to supervisors earlier this month that some officers have simply walked off the job without filing the proper paperwork, creating confusion about who is still working and who isn’t.
Former Los Angeles police officer Rafael Dagnesses told FOX Business he expects to see a similar trend in other parts of the country, as well.
“I think across the country, it’s that a lot of these folks that were maybe thinking of staying another year or two or three are going to start pulling the plug right now," he said. "In my conversations with officers throughout the city of Los Angeles and also with the country, that’s exactly what they’re talking about."
FOX Business' Ashley Webster and The Associated Press contributed to this report.