Video: Colorado Agencies Face Officer Shortage
“The hiring pool, the applicant pool, is definitely shrinking,” said Mike Violette, the executive director of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police.
July 22, 2016
1 min to read
Recent attacks on law enforcement officers across the country are taking a toll on Colorado police departments, leading to a shortage in officers.
Resignations are up and hirings are down, KDVR TV reports.
Cmdr. Fletcher Howard retired from the Colorado Springs Police Department last year after 38 years with the force. While he didn’t retire because of recent violence, he said it is having a big impact.
Fifty-two officers resigned from the Colorado Springs Police Department in 2015. Several cited the attacks on police as a reason for their departures.
New applicants are also difficult to find in many Colorado communities.
“The hiring pool, the applicant pool, is definitely shrinking,” said Mike Violette, the executive director of the Colorado Fraternal Order of Police.
Violette said some rural communities are having an especially difficult time finding qualified candidates. In some cases they're forced to hire applicants who wouldn’t have gotten the job 10 or even five years ago.
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