comment: >
  
  I just looked up pay in Sacramento. Officers are making $120k plus overtime
context: As a government employee I can tell you why.  Previously the deal was that government jobs paid less than private sector jobs but you got better job security and a good pension.
  Both those perks aren't nearly what they used to be.  Government agencies aren't shy about laying people off anymore and pension "reform" has gutted public sector pensions.  So now the deal is work for less money with benefits that aren't really much better than those offered by private sector employers.
  Under this new reality is it any wonder employees bounce. >
  
  Bingo. You nailed it right on the head. They’re stripping away the previously great benefits of a government job and not raising the pay at all, while piling more work onto each position. 
  Shocker they can’t find employees. >
  
  My state dropped retiree health benefits for new hires, among other benefit cuts, and now wonders why they have a 22% vacancy rate. >
  
  Ours still had it, but it’s as expensive as cobra is, so not many can afford it! >
  
  
  “It’s never been easier to start your own business,” [Tulsa Police Officer Mark] Ohnesorge said. “You can go online right now and start an Etsy business and have the capacity to make large sums of money depending on how well you do. With jobs like policing, there’s an income ceiling that you won’t be able to get past no matter how well you do.”
  
  Pure delusion.
  Nope, I just don't think potential police officers are instead making huge bank selling crafts and knitting on Etsy. >
  
  Yeah totally delusional.  However, potential recruits can make comparable money (at least to start) driving a truck or working construction without all the hassle of going to a police academy (harder than most people think --50% of my class washed out) and going through a background investigation (another 30% will washout). >
  
  No, you can't make as much driving a truck.
  Police in big cities make 150k+ with large pensions. That's not what you get as a truck driver. >
  
  In a very few very big cities perhaps.  Deputies in my medium size California county start at 62K.
  Also, California gutted public pensions in 2013.  I got hired as a regular government employee, after seven years as a government contractor, in 2014 so my pension sucks. >
  
  Don't know what to tell you man. I've looked into the pay n medium sized cities in California too. Very high. Never once heard of a cop quitting to go be a truck driver for more money. >
  
  Peace Officer pay varies across the country more than truck driver pay.  In California, outside the Bay Area and LA area, the pay would be comparable.  In places like Oklahoma which the article referenced truck driving often pays more.  
  Deputies leave our county for all sorts of reasons.  Our turnover approaches 100% per year (of course not everyone leaves but some slots got through three or four deputies every year).