SYNOPSIS Our Winter 2024 report examines retention and turnover among law enforcement officers (LEOs) in Arizona, based on a comprehensive survey of 4,079 participants (96.96% of whom were sworn officers). The research, conducted by the University of Arizona and funded by the Arizona Board of Regents, found that while officers are generally satisfied with their jobs and likely to remain until retirement (about 75% indicated this likelihood), there are several key challenges affecting retention:
Key findings include:
- Over 70% of officers rate their job satisfaction at 6 or higher on a 10-point scale
- Officers are most satisfied with "soft" workplace factors like work-life balance and autonomy
- The biggest concerns relate to staffing levels, compensation, and pension benefits
- A $20,000 raise would significantly increase likelihood of retention
- Officers serving larger populations and in sheriff's offices report lower satisfaction
- Mental and emotional health impacts are a significant concern
- Public support/criticism affects desire to remain in law enforcement
Our full report is available here.