SYRACUSE, NY — Syracuse police are pushing a broad recruitment drive as the department’s uniformed ranks shrink to what officials say is their smallest level in modern history. Chief Mark Rusin said the agency is trying to stop the decline before it limits the department’s ability to handle calls, investigate crimes and keep officers healthy.
The staffing crunch has become especially visible in the past year. In May, six academy graduates joined the force after about nine months of training, but eight officers retired in the same month. Police union President Joe Moran responded with a social media post showing a collapsing bridge, writing that changes were coming and that it was time to act.
Retirements keep outpacing hires despite a growing police budget
The department’s decline has not been tied to a budget cut. Syracuse police funding has increased 33% since the 2020-21 fiscal year, reaching $63.7 million, the largest city department budget by far. But the force has continued to get smaller because retirements have consistently exceeded new hires.
Over the past 18 months, 54 officers have retired while only 32 new officers have joined. Rusin said the department has been forced to re-evaluate each position and program as retirements occur, because staffing decisions now affect whether the department can preserve core services. The current uniformed force stands at 350 officers, and city records suggest that is its lowest level since the 1950s.
The department reached about 530 officers in the late 1990s and was still above 500 in 2009. It had 468 sworn officers in 2012. Rusin said the city has budgeted for around 420 positions in recent years, but he lowered the current budget target to 385 because that figure better reflects what the city can realistically fill by the end of the fiscal year.
Task forces, overnight detectives and intelligence work have already been cut back
Rusin said the shortage has already forced him to shut down some specialized units. The department has eliminated a gang violence prevention task force, an overnight detective shift and an intelligence unit. He said leaders have found ways to continue much of that work through other assignments, but warned that flexibility disappears if staffing keeps falling.
For Rusin, the main concern is not only coverage, but the strain placed on the officers who remain. He said long hours and heavy call volumes are making the job harder. The chief also said the department has to protect the “core” of what it does, which means spending time evaluating every program whenever someone retires.
That pressure has made staffing his top priority, Rusin said. He linked adequate staffing to response times, crime-solving and prevention, and he said the department cannot afford to keep trimming its margin for adjustment. “Beyond urgent” is how he described the situation.
Recruiting now includes bonuses, open houses and a new training push
To reverse the trend, Rusin has approved a more aggressive recruiting strategy. Lt. Dallas Pelz, a 12-year veteran and former detective, now serves as training director and also oversees recruiting. He and Deputy Chief Jason Tom have been building a campaign to sell the department as a place where officers can build a career.
The department is attending every job fair it can, hosting open houses at the new police headquarters on the city’s West Side and offering prep sessions for people who want to take the civil service written exam and physical fitness test. Pelz said some of those prospects have already turned into successful candidates.
Syracuse has also added financial incentives. New officers who graduate from the SPD academy can receive a $10,000 hiring bonus, while experienced officers transferring from another New York department can get $20,000. The bonuses are meant to supplement a starting salary of $67,000, which trails the pay offered to new Onondaga County sheriff’s deputies and New York State Police troopers.
City leaders suspend residency rule to widen the hiring pool
Mayor Sharon Owens has backed one of Rusin’s biggest changes: suspending the city’s residency requirement for new officers. The rule, adopted in 2022 during negotiations with the police union, had required new hires to live in Syracuse for their first five years on the job. Rusin concluded that it was hurting recruitment and asked Owens to drop it.
SPD is now promoting the absence of the residency requirement in social media posts tied to the next civil service exam. Officials say the early numbers are encouraging. The countywide police civil service exam in May drew 184 participants, the most since 2020. Among those who passed, 43 are in background screening, including 30 who live outside the city.
First Deputy Chief Richard Trudell told the Syracuse Common Council that the department is seeing significant interest from non-city residents. The council also approved a $55,000 contract with a criminal justice institute at the University at Albany to study how the residency suspension affects hiring.
Retirement rules and contract talks could shape whether staffing stabilizes
Even if recruiting improves, department leaders know the next challenge is keeping experienced officers on the job. In New York, officers can retire after 20 years and collect full pensions, and many leave as soon as they qualify. Rusin said that pattern has helped create the current wave of retirements.
Pelz said the next two years should bring some relief, with 16 officers becoming pension-eligible in 2027 and 18 in 2028. He also pointed to a gap created when former Mayor Stephanie Miner froze hiring from 2011 to 2014, which means there are now fewer officers reaching retirement age in the near term. Moran and Rusin both want the state to create a deferred retirement option plan, or DROP, that would give eligible officers a reason to stay three to five years longer.
The issue is expected to matter in contract talks as well. The current police contract expires at the end of 2027, and the union says it will likely seek stronger longevity pay. Rusin said officers need to feel valued, and Moran said the department’s steps so far show a serious effort. Rusin, though, said he is not satisfied yet and wants to keep building until staffing is no longer the conversation.
