Officer Shortage Hits St. Louis City, County Police

The St. Louis County and Metropolitan Police Departments are joining others around the country in handing out "Help Wanted" signs, as more officers are leaving the force and fewer recruits are signing up to replace them.

March 29, 2016

The St. Louis County and Metropolitan Police Departments are joining others around the country in handing out "Help Wanted" signs, as more officers are leaving the force and fewer recruits are signing up to replace them, reports CBS St. Louis.

One reason — Ferguson.

"We kind of figured we were going to lose some people," says St. Louis County Police recruiting officer Kevin Minor. "And we did."

Minor says the county department has lost about 110 of its 925 officers since Ferguson. It is currently at least 32 officers short of its authorized force.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Sam Dodson says he's losing two or three officers every two weeks. His department is 100 officers shy of fully staffed.

He says events like those in Ferguson and Baltimore and elsewhere are taking their toll.

"I think law enforcement is not a favored profession right now," he says.

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