One in Three???

According to this Atlanta-Journal Constitution article, one in three Atlanta police-persons has a criminal record. The article notes that the problem is due to budget problems combined with the need to expand the department. If you think of the supply curve for policemen of certain characteristics, then what determines that supply curve? The opportunity costs of being a policeman, meaning at least what their next best alternative, matters. Thus if you cannot pay them to compensate for that next best alternative plus some compensating differential due to the higher risks of police work, you're either going to have the position unfilled or have to draw from a slightly less qualified candidate pool. One of the downsides of being a former convict is that it is difficult to get work again. So it makes me wonder if in the longrun a war on drugs drives up the price of fighting crime by reducing the pool of candidates. That has to be compared against the benefits to society of lower crime due to higher enforcement of drug-related laws in order to determine what overall effect it has for social welfare.