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On November 14, Ben Haiman, executive director, Professional Development Bureau of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., led a webinar, “Best Practices in Police Recruitment: How the Metropolitan Police Department Continues to Thrive in a Challenging Environment,” sponsored by IPMA-HR’s Assessment Services Department. Following are some of the highlights from Haiman’s talk. IPMA-HR members can access the full archived webinar through our Webinar Library.
Want to know more? Listen to the entire webinar online. Not a member? Become one!
The opioid epidemic and succession planning are my two top concerns right now.
In Sagadahoc County, the opioid epidemic is of real concern. There are a lot of issues related to it that require a great deal of our time, from the number of calls we take regarding overdoses, to investigators working on trafficking cases, dealing with the number of people in our jails who are addicted and getting folks into treatment and recovery – it’s a lot for any department.
Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel A. Merry | Image: Bangor Daily News
Succession planning is my top human resources issue. Retirement is the main reason we’re losing people, though we recently lost two transport deputies to the private sector. On the patrol side, we’ve had a very stable workforce, but we do have some pending retirements. This concerns me due to what my fellow law enforcement administrators are going through with recruiting. It’s a real concern. When I started my career in law enforcement 35 years ago, it was so competitive that I didn’t get my first two attempts.
We’re answering the call with life-saving aid, aggressive tactics, education and recovery.
Sagadahoc County is one of the first agencies to start carrying Narcan in Maine. We did this because we service a lot of small rural communities where EMS are 15-30 minutes away. Having a deputy with AEDs and Narcan can save a life.
The other thing we’ve done is get more aggressive on the law enforcement side trying to eradicate the traffickers and educate the public. We’ve trained patrol in interdiction strategies and we work closely with MDEA (Maine Drug Enforcement Administration) on public awareness, as well as some diversion tactics.
The tactic I’m most proud of is one where we connect people with a recovery coach and group counseling. Our programs deputy carries a caseload of 7-15 folks who are required to check in every night and meet with him face-to-face once a week. They are also subject to random drug testing and need to be employed or looking. We want to hold them accountable. It’s another level of probation and provides additional support to the probation office to help keep them on the right track.
Thinking ahead, we’re providing leadership training, adding specializations, and performing youth outreach.
Everyone who applies for a promotional position gets to attend a leadership training program through Granite State Police Career Counseling. It consists of a one-day leadership course and a three-day course on supervision, teaching them what supervision is within an agency, what does it mean and how will your role change as a supervisor.
Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Dept. attending a You Matter event at Woolwich Central School. The officers greet students as they arrive.
We’re also adding in some specializations to build skills and to help keep our deputies interested in this agency. To that end, we recently restarted a K-9 program, and we have another deputy who is specializing in accident reconstruction.
We have done some youth outreach, including Project ALERT, which is similar to DARE. Prevention work is something I would like to do more of. I’ve toyed with the idea of a visitation program such as deputies stopping by schools to say hello and have lunch with the kids.
9/11 was a defining moment in my career.
One of the defining moments of my career came when I was a lieutenant with the Bath Police Department. My chief at the time was away attending the FBI academy, which corresponded with 9/11. A lot of things were fast moving. There were so many unknowns: are we a target, are we next?
The USS Zumwalt at Bath Iron Works. Image: Bangor Daily News
In Bath we have Bath Iron Works, which is a major U.S. shipyard and producer of naval ships. We had a lot of protocols around that – we had to provide guards 24/7 to protect the military assets. We were working very closely with neighboring law enforcement departments and built strong partnerships during that time.
Working with other agencies in both the private and public sector, I had to learn a lot of communication skills very quickly and make sure information was being shared — that I was communicating with all stakeholders. I had to focus. It provided me with insight into what leadership needs to be: As a leader, you have to be thinking about the now and what happens tomorrow at the same time.
We care.
What is the one thing I’d want our community to know about law enforcement? We care. We really do care about the health and well-being of our community.
Our communities are a great place to live, work and play, and as members of law enforcement, we work hard to keep them as safe as possible so people can live without fear and enjoy their lives.
-Sheriff Joel Merry, Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, Maine
This article originally appeared in IPMA-HR’s monthly magazine, HR News.
It seems you can’t open a newspaper or turn on the news without hearing a story about the hiring crisis in law enforcement. There’s no way around it: departments nationwide – from large metropolitan areas to small town America – are embroiled in a crisis-level hiring shortage.
The reasons for it are many, and none of them easily surmountable. It starts with large numbers of baby boomers retiring and a robust economy – officers who leave before retirement are often moving to the private sector for better pay, better hours and less stress.
The thriving economy also provides much more opportunity for those entering the workforce. And, given a choice between a job known for its high-stress, low-pay and nontraditional work hours, a 9-5, Monday-Friday in the private sector seems the obvious choice for many.
Then there’s the undeniable sullied image of the profession. Where once choosing a career in law enforcement was akin to that of superhero, now a solid percentage (34 percent, according to Pew Research Center) of the public hold a neutral or negative view of the badge and the people behind it. Among minorities, the number trends much higher.
The Millennial generation is also of a different mindset than any previous generation. They place a much higher value on work-life balance, need greater variety in their work assignments, and aren’t as patient with the lengthy hiring process: “… for some Millennials, there’s an expectation for immediate gratification: instant replies, constant communication. It’s labor intensive for my command staff,” said Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce.
“Today’s recruits are more interested in a work-life balance; they want time off,” said former Deputy Chief John Haas of the Arlington County Police Department. “The four-day workweek is very popular. Departments are going to have to adapt to the Millennial way of thinking and values. This is a different generation.”
And, while the job has always been dangerous, wearing the uniform today carries with it greater risk than in times past. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there were 135 officers killed in the line of duty in 2016, twenty-one of which were the result of ambush-style attacks – such as the five Dallas police officers who were assassinated – the highest it’s been in over 20 years. If the trend for 2018 continues, the number of officers killed in the line of duty will increase by 13 percent, with 146 officers lost.
Departments are doing their best to maintain the safety of their communities despite the shortage; however, the fact is: open positions create gaps in patrol, leading to slower response times – and less safe communities. Quite simply, the lack of qualified applicants has left departments from coast to coast desperately searching for new and creative ways to recruit – and retain – good officers.
Addressing the issue in the short-term
There are a number of ways in which departments are seeking to address the issue in the short-term:
Small agencies struggling to keep up turn to each other
Small, rural agencies simply can’t compete with the larger agencies in terms of budget or opportunity for advancement or variety of duties (e.g., tactical team, drug task force). In a small department, the loss of even one officer can deal a serious blow. Take Searsport, Maine, where the department is staffed by just three officers: Call the department, and there’s a good chance Chief Dick LaHaye will answer the phone.
In response to the hiring crisis, more small, rural agencies are looking into a merger with surrounding towns. For example, in New York, Spring Valley Police Department is looking into merging with neighboring Clarkstown and Ramapo, and in Maine, a voter referendum question is under review that could result in the merger of the Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor departments.
Other cities contract with neighboring towns or the county. This is the case in Lanesboro and Fountain, Minnesota, where city officials have a contract with the Preston Police Department for law enforcement.
A failsafe, short-term solution doesn’t exist
Departments nationwide are trying everything they can think of to get qualified applicants in the door who truly desire to be in law enforcement. But, try as they may, a failsafe, short-term solution doesn’t exist, according to Haas.
“They have to do more than hang a ‘help wanted’ sign,” said Haas. “It’s going to take time, thinking differently and investing in people early on, especially teens and college students. The agencies that are seeing the most success in hiring are those that have Explorer programs, that have programs and training on college campuses. They get people hooked on the profession early on.”
Programs such as Haas suggested are cropping up in forward-looking departments all across the country.
One constant amid the hiring frenzy
Departments are desperate for good recruits, no question. But there’s one standard that hasn’t changed in the face of the current hiring crisis: Every department from the big to the small wants people who are not only passionate about making a difference in their community, but who are inspired to begin – or maintain – a career in law enforcement.
“Policing isn’t easy,” said Michael Parker, consultant with The Parker Group and retired police commander for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in a recent Police Magazine article. “People are under distress. Policing provides a great opportunity to help people in a great degree of need. But it’s also very difficult because you are in danger, both physically and emotionally. You really need to look inward to see if this is for you.”
Jenny Donovan is a freelance writer and former police officer who resides in Maine.
Creativity is key to meeting the challenges we face.
We’re facing four major challenges – all equally big. First, we’re one of the top five fastest growing counties in the country, and we’re having a hard time keeping up with that growth. We’re not currently staffed appropriately to provide the level of service we’d like to. Most days it feels like we’re throwing mud on the wall and seeing what sticks. We’re working with other elected officials on growth, helping them see why we need add staff, but it has been and continues to be a serious challenge.
We also police the transit system. Plus, a new commercial airport is set to open where Boeing is, and we have to police that also. We have got to staff up to these changes, and it’s been a challenge, especially in the current climate. We’ve had to become a lot of more engaged with the community and connect with youth.
Then come the big three: mental illness, homelessness, and the opioid crisis. All three affect how we manage policing. We’re constantly thinking about how to keep everyone safe and in the loop. These issues create challenges that force us to look beyond traditional policing. How do we retool ourselves?
We’re in the midst of a public health crisis: 60-70 percent of our inmate pop have reported metal illness in the last five years. The Snohomish County Jail isn’t staffed for or designed to be a mental health hospital. We can’t use the jail in this way. People aren’t getting the help they need. We can’t make them healthy and are thus sending them back out with same issues. We’ve enhanced our medical staff, brought in outside vendors, we use Facetime for therapy with outside providers, and partnered with the state to bring folks in part-time. But the state is backlogged.
And there’s the opioid crisis. Over 90 percent of our homeless population is suffering from an addiction or mental health issue. Some of our deputies are partnered with social workers, and they’re going out to homeless camps to try to figure out who needs help with addiction and get them treatment.
This is a nationwide crisis that’s on everyone’s mind; everyone wants to talk about it, and it’s going to be here for a while. The thing I’m proud of are the changes we’ve made: a pair of handcuffs and a trip to jail doesn’t work with this crisis. It won’t get us out of this. People say “take them to jail” all the time, but when we give people a hand up, we connect with them, we get them help, they’re not in our system anymore.
Ours is the one business that doesn’t want repeat customers. It’s not fair that we have to fix it, but nontraditional methods are working. We’re trying to be creative as we can. I deal with a lot of people — good families — who are dealing with this. These are human beings. We don’t choose who we protect and serve, it’s everybody.
Over 30 years in law enforcement has taught me a lot.
I’m getting ready to start my 32nd year in this profession. Back when I joined the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy, I was chosen to be part of a community policing program. My experience with that program is something that has stuck with me and set me on a path toward working very closely with the community. I learned a lot from it. For example, I learned the importance of saying, “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have done that.” And I’ve learned the importance of sitting with people and working together to find solutions.
Our motto is “community first,” and it’s the defining value of my career.
We understand our role as law enforcement; it’s a very honorable but contentious task.
If there’s one thing I’d like the people of Snohomish County to know about our job, it’s that we understand our role. We’re very fortunate to live in a community that supports law enforcement, and in turn we work really, really hard to reduce crime and be engaged in the community.
Every single day we work to engage and connect — and take our lumps when we need to. We don’t ever lose sight of that. Our is a very honorable but contentious task, and we have to be compassionate in everything we do.
-Sheriff Trenary, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Washington
The Council of State Governments Justice Center | While many policymakers are keenly aware of how spending on prisons has changed over the last 10 years, they often know less about how spending on probation and parole supervision has changed or what recidivism outcomes are for people leaving prison or starting probation.
NJ.com | NJ Transit Police along with other first responders have used the overdose drug Narcan to save the lives of 100 people this year who were overdosing on opioids, agency officials said.
government technology | Both Gilbert and Chandler have grown so explosively that their police and fire departments no longer can rely on other municipalities to train officers and firefighters. As a result, Chandler opened the first phase of its new public safety training complex – a $26.3 million facility – in July.
KTUU | Gov. Bill Walker said Wednesday that Alaska State Troopers will get a 7.5 percent raise later this week, and another 7.5 percent if the Alaska Legislature approves the increase next session. … “For me it was a retention crisis,” Walker said. “When we have wonderful, dedicated law enforcement officers, troopers, that are going elsewhere because it’s better pay, better benefits, I pay close attention to that.”
KOB 4 | Since July, the police department has lost more than 12 officers, some of them went to APD, which pays more. A starting wage for a Santa Fe police officer is $19 per hour. At APD, the starting wage is $29 per hour.
(For more on this, see: “Santa Fe, Calif., Police Department to City Council: We’re ‘Bleeding out Officers‘”)
government technology | California’s National City police and fire departments have a new type of tool: drones intended to provide officers and firefighters a bird’s-eye view for public safety efforts, such as to find a missing person, document a crime scene or assess a fire.
IAFCTV | At FRI 2018, IAFC TV spoke with Chief Deryn Rizzi about some of the important issues in the fire service right now surrounding the topic of human relations and the initiatives the committee will take on during her tenure.
FireRescue1 | Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña on Tuesday warned of dire consequences — including possible layoffs of more than 800 firefighters and deferred maintenance or upgrades on aging equipment, if voters approve the firefighters’ pay parity initiative on the November ballot.
Police Magazine | Kazz wrote on Facebook, “An elderly woman came into my station today and gave me $3 in change to put on her gas pump. A police officer was standing behind her and happened to hear the amount and saw she was using a cane, struggling to walk back to her car. He went outside and told her to sit in the car as he would pump the gas for her. After a few minutes of getting to know one another he realized she was really struggling and didn’t have any gas or money left.”
It’s going to take everyone working together to eradicate the violence from our community.
“We’re losing our youth to gun violence at a rapid pace. Youth of all ages have murdered people throughout our community, and it’s increasing at an extremely alarming rate, not only here but across the nation. We had two or three murders last year; this year it’s up to eight in total – city and county.
“We’re working to help reprogram the minds of our youth to understand that every time you kill someone, you’re killing off a whole generation. You’re also not putting any value on your own life or anyone else’s life. These kids need to understand that every time they kill someone, they possibly just killed the next mayor, sheriff, governor or even the next president.
“We’ve embraced community policing as a part of that reprogramming. I pick a school once a week and walk the school. We attend community events for youth – everywhere there’s a youth function, you’ll see me or one of my deputies. The kids call me ‘Uncle Travis’ now. I give them my cell number and they use it. Their concerns are my concerns.
“Recently a young lady [age 17] who was pregnant was killed in a drive-by shooting. Within minutes information started pouring in to my cell phone, and less than 10 hours later we had all four of the perpetrators in jail. The people in our community have taken a stand with law enforcement; they’re breaking the code of silence.
“Faith-based organizations are stepping up and going into rough areas and praying over the grounds. There’s a major push going on to get gangs to lay down their guns and give families the control over their neighborhoods.
“I personally engage with gang leaders and the people are, too. It’s a multidisciplinary team approach. We’re using what I call the ‘three C’s’: consideration, communication, and collaboration. Law enforcement didn’t start this violence – no officer has shot anyone in this community – and it’s not going to end with us. It’s going to take everybody to eradicate this problem from our community. I’m of the ‘it takes a village’ approach, and it’s yielding very positive results.”
The journey to becoming sheriff is something I’m proud of.
“When I ran for sheriff in 2015, the community was extremely divided. The racial makeup of Adams County is almost evenly divided between black and white. But as I went door to door, people started to see my vision; they started to buy in. For me and the people who voted for me, it was never about race or color. The community showed by their vote that it was about doing the right thing, even if it wasn’t the popular thing to do. It took the entire community’s support through a grassroots effort to get me elected.
“When I put my name on that ballot I’d never run for anything in my life, never spoken in public. I’m a Navy veteran, was a mortgage loan officer and a K-9 officer in narcotics. It was me against an incumbent and another guy who had 30 years of experience. I had no major backers and virtually no funding. It was truly a modern-day David vs. Goliath story.
“Some people tried to scare me away. They took my political signs across the river to Louisiana and sent me videos of my signs being used for target practice – shooting at my face – or being burned. But we pushed forward.
“The community of Adams County bought into my vision wholeheartedly, and for that I am extremely grateful. We overcame the odds. Ninety-five percent of the people here are good people who want change. We’re not going to let the 5 percent win.”
Whether you’re the janitor or the president, everyone deserves to be treated equally.
“If there’s one thing I’d like people to know about us [Adams County Sheriff’s Office], it’s that we have compassion in our hearts for the community we serve. We are not what they’re seeing all over the country. There’s a war going on between law enforcement and their communities, but we are not at war with the people of Adams County. We will always put them first while serving them. Our goal is to show the rest of the nation how well a community can thrive when law enforcement, the schools and citizens work together.
“I wish people understood the weight that rests on law enforcement’s shoulders. We’re almost like street pastors: People are looking to us for the answers to everything. A lot of people have problems, and for many, we’re the solution. I don’t take that lightly. When they bring those issues to us, we’re going to act on it.
“We’re always going to be transparent. People deserve to know what’s going on. Politics shouldn’t have a place in law enforcement. Whether you’re the janitor or the president, everyone deserves to be treated equally. You have a lot of outside influences trying to get you to go this way or that way, but I will not be bought or compromised. That’s what I want every citizen of Adams County to know.”
-Sheriff Travis Patten, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi
Our history has led us to this place in time; we have to own the negative narrative that’s out there.
“The biggest challenge we face in policing today is the lack of public trust in who we are, what we do and our reason for being. Our history has led us to this place in time; we have to own the negative narrative that’s out there — to respond to and understand law enforcement’s role in the history of society’s unjust treatment of communities of color. We need to look at how we do things, hold ourselves accountable and figure out how we can build public trust.
“There are many issues we’re all facing as a result: Recruitment is the most significant. The negative narrative we’re in creates the impression that this isn’t a great profession to join. We’re facing a lack of diversity: We’re having a difficult time recruiting females, and people from different cultures and ethnicities.
“Another major issue is that officers are being called on to do things that aren’t necessarily aligned with our training, such as being the main social worker. Social transformation is now our role by default. Mental health issues, housing issues, drug addiction — we respond to it all. The problem is, we don’t have the resources to train people to be everything to the communities we serve.
“Looking forward, it’s not a very optimistic landscape.”
This profession and the nobility of it and the ability to serve in this capacity defines my day and who I am.
“I never lose sight of that. We are selfless in this profession. The rewards are few and far between.
“When I look back and think about the reminders of why this is important, I think about things like getting letters from domestic violence victims I helped. One in particular comes to mind — she was in a really terrible and violent relationship of 20 years. A year after she got out, she wrote to thank me and to let me know she was safe. If we hadn’t taken the extra time with her the night she was badly beaten and pistol whipped, and given her the encouragement she needed, she would probably be dead.
“Stories like that remind me to keep doing what we’re doing. We do good work, and sometimes, at the lowest point in a person’s life, we’re all they have.”
Every officer came into this career with every intention of being a hero of the community.
“Look at the human behind the badge. No one enters this profession to do something wrong. We all enter it to do good, to be pillars in the community.
“Today’s policing calls on us to deal with so much of society’s ills. It’s an emotionally and physically challenging job.
“We’re called upon to solve issues that have nothing to do with crime suppression. But every officer out there came into this career with every intention of being a hero of the community. There’s a human behind that badge with good intentions. Too often we forget to recognize their value and what they contribute to society.
“We have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession, also one of the highest rates of depression, anxiety, obesity and cardiovascular disease. We [those in positions of leadership] often don’t pay attention to the emotional needs of our personnel. We don’t give our staff the resources to address the constant stress experienced in this profession. We have largely ignored the relationship between stress, trauma and resiliency.
“We’re at a time where the burden is greater than it’s ever been. We need to figure out how we can create and maintain resiliency in our officers and our profession so we can be the best we can be.”
–Jennifer Tejada, Chief of Police, Emeryville Police Department
Vacancies should be filled by those looking to make the world a better place.
“In general, this is a really challenging time for law enforcement. Bad judgment needs to be addressed. It’s getting a little tougher to hire good people and, as a result, agencies are dropping their standards just to get people in, which is only going to make things worse. It might solve the vacancy rate, but in the long term, it’s going to be an issue: problem employees create liability, poor community/police relations, bad media and press.
“Agencies need to hire the best and brightest they can – experienced, worldly, mature – those who are looking to make the world a better place.”
There are three events that stick out in my mind as “defining moments.”
“9/11 – the Pentagon is in Arlington, so we [Arlington County PD] were the first responders for that. I was in Miami Beach that day and immediately tried to get back home when it happened, but every travel avenue was booked. So, I ended up driving home in this huge white Cadillac.
“I’ll never forget the feeling of not being there. I was very disappointed I couldn’t be there with my department, helping. By the time I got there a couple of days later, everyone was so exhausted –emotionally, mentally, physically spent. But I was fresh and could take command of the situation, so that was actually a good thing. The first thing I did was walk to the site … and it impacts me still today.
“The second event was a hostage situation that took place when I was evening section commander. A former husband had taken his wife hostage. He was armed. We negotiated all through the night, and it kept getting worse and worse and worse. Finally, I authorized the SWAT team to go in. There were three rounds of shots and officers down. My heart stopped and for a moment I thought I’d sent three officers to their graves. Luckily, they all sustained minor injuries and had killed the hostage-taker – but that was really hard. It’s an awesome responsibility.
“And the third event (actually two events) involved use of deadly force — when I could have used deadly force and didn’t. One was the right call, and one was wrong. In the first event, I was working midnight shift when I came up on two guys breaking into a building. I got one guy on the ground, and he pulled a gun. I thought it was a toy gun and didn’t shoot. But it was real and if the guy had pulled the trigger, I would have been dead.
“The second time was during a burglary in progress. There was a woman screaming and crying on the front lawn. She convinced me that someone was in the basement. I went to investigate, and there was a dark figure in the corner. I started giving orders. But the figure didn’t move. It took me a few minutes, but I finally figured out it was a stuffed gorilla.”
What should people know about us? Cops get scared, too.
“Cops get scared, too. Split-second decisions in the field can be very, very difficult. We’re only human, and sometimes we make a mistake.
“But there are two types of mistakes: mistakes of the head, which are due to a lack of training, poor judgment, etc., and there are mistakes of heart – when you know it was wrong, but you did it anyway. When you make the latter, it’s time to leave.”
–Former Deputy Chief (retired) John Haas, Arlington County Police Department, Arlington, Va.
We’ve been forced to make a lot of changes in our hiring practices.
“Filling vacancies – specifically in corrections, and to a lesser extent in patrol – in today’s workforce has forced us to make a lot of changes in our hiring practices. To start with, we have to move a lot quicker, which causes anxiety in HR at times: the whole ‘haste makes waste’ adage. But for some Millennials, there’s an expectation for immediate gratification: instant replies, constant communication. It’s labor intensive for my command staff.
“We’re also finding that fewer and fewer applicants make it through the entire application process. Before, we used to get a mass number of applicants for an opening, and it would take about eight applicants to get one good candidate. Now, only 2-3 at a time are dribbling in.
“We spend a lot of money just trying to recruit people. We’re competing against employers who don’t have the rigorous vetting process we do, and against the current reputation of law enforcement in general, as well as the nontraditional work hours and demands of the job.
“Attending local job fairs and placing job announcements in the paper used to be all it took in terms of advertising, but now we have to hit every job fair – even those a couple hundred miles away. We even installed an electric message board at the end of our driveway to advertise vacancies.
“There are people who still respect what we do, and there a lot of people doing good work still. But the role of our command staff has changed to some degree; they’ve had to become cheerleaders for their staff.”
Thirty-two years on the job, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
“The reality of the job is that there are a lot of calls and ways you assist people that have an impact on their lives. The job is whatever you make of it.
“I have 32 years on the job. It’s gone by fast, and I wouldn’t change a thing. You see danger, trauma – what people would consider a lot of negatives. But you see a lot of positives, too.
“I’ve had several people whom I’ve arrested for various issues, or given tickets to, who have later shaken my hand and thanked me because at the time it happened, they were misguided, and if I hadn’t done that, God knows where they would be. That’s the real reward of the job.”
The job isn’t about one officer or one agency – together, we make an impact.
“As an officer, you are a member of a profession that together works as an aggregate. We all make an impact, it’s not just one officer or one agency: It’s everybody working together.
“We have to hold ourselves accountable while trying to hold the people we serve accountable. We have to work to keep the profession honorable.”
–Sheriff Kevin Joyce, Cumberland County, Maine, Sheriff’s Department