AUSTIN, Texas — As the Austin Police Department tries to fill vacant officer positions, it's facing a setback: nearly 40 percent of its current cadet class has quit.
The 140th cadet class had a roster of 96 cadets to start with -- out of a pool of nearly 1,400 applicants -- but four of them quit before Oct. 1, 2018, the first day of the academy, according to APD.
Since then, 36 cadets have dropped out, leaving a total of 56 cadets remaining in the class. Graduation is on May 10.
"The honest truth is, we're struggling to hire people," Austin Police Association president Ken Casaday told KVUE. "This one class that we have right now is very concerning."
The APA represents APD officers and negotiates on their behalf.
Casaday said these numbers concern him because the department is struggling to keep up with Austin's growth and is already short on officers, an issue other departments in Texas are facing.
"People are realizing once they get in [to the academy], they get punched in the face. They get pepper sprayed. They see how tough the academics are," he said.
But Commander Mark Spangler, who works with APD's recruiting department, told KVUE these numbers don't tell the whole story.
He said some of the cadets have quit because of family issues, prior commitments, or injuries.
"All of them come in with the best of intentions," Spangler said.
At least four to six of the cadets who have quit are eligible to return to the 141st cadet class.
During orientation, Spangler said cadets are given a lot of information up front about what to expect at the 32-week regular academy, including its academic and physical demands.
"Some of them are not able to meet that standard. They recognize it's not for them," Spangler said. "We want the best of the best without ever, in any way, lowering the standards."
Dennis Farris, who retired from APD in 2015 after 25 years, told KVUE people should be concerned about the number of dropouts.
"It should be shocking to everybody," Farris said.
He graduated from the 78th cadet class in 1990, which had a 100 percent graduation rate, he said. But Farris recognizes times have changed, and the department expects more of its officers, both physically and academically.
"For the time, [the class] was tough, but I think the cadet class now is much tougher than it was back then," he said.
Still, he understands why some people may be hesitant to become a police officer for the city of Austin.
"I feel like this is the most anti-public safety council the city of Austin has ever had," Farris said. "There are some supporters on the council, but there are several council members who are actively going after public safety."
It's also a dangerous job, he said, that requires a lot of sacrifice.
"There's no such thing as a routine call. There's no such thing as a routine traffic stop. Nothing is routine about this job," he said. "You train for worst-case scenario so that worst-case scenario doesn't happen."
But Farris doesn't want that to deter anyone from protecting and serving their community.
"Go into this with your eyes wide open and realize that, yeah, there are going to be bad days, but there are going to be great days, too," he said.
Spangler admitted there's a perception nationwide that "policing is broken," but he said that perception could not be further from the truth.
According to APD, cadets earn $40,000 during the academy and at graduation begin making nearly $60,000.
"Austin is a great city to raise family and that in and of itself is attractive to prospective candidates," Spangler said.
The current cadet class graduates on May 10, but Casaday expects more cadets will drop out before then.
"We'll still lose more out of this class because the class isn't over yet, and then people have yet to go out and go through their training with a field training officer," he said. "We usually lose people during that."
The 139th cadet class, which began in February 2018 and lasted 30 weeks, started with 66 cadets but only 40 graduated, according to APD.