Pros
Despite challenges of numerous officers hired in early 90’s hitting retirement, the MPD manages to get a lot done for the city. The new chief as of Feb 2018 is restoring some much needed resources towards anti-gang and violent crime efforts. He is also maintaining a balance between patrol and investigations in resource allocation, which is atypical of this department’s recent history which saw the elimination of gang, narcotics and general investigative assignments. Quality of training officers receive is high value. Good department to work for if you are motivated to pursue a variety of assignments or if you want to specialize in various things like harbor patrol, bomb squad, tactical, etc.
Cons
The biggest challenge facing the MPD will be maintaining adequate staffing. Shortstaffed shifts currently have officers working a lot of overtime which cuts into a healthy work/personal life balance. With the retirements, the drain of experience will be significant. Budgets continue to be under strain...patrol cars average over 150k miles.