A newly released study of the St. Paul (MN) Police Department contends that the agency should hire at least 100 more officers and support staff in order to keep up with increasing call loads, a growing population, and the ever-increasing complexity of conducting criminal investigations.
FOP President Rick Snyder said, "Logistically, it does not appear possible to 'outhire' the number of officers that are leaving."
The shrinking department is down to 3,252 officers, well below the desired 3,500. The force hopes to hire 449 officers this year to make up for attrition. Council wants police staffing to average three officers per 1,000 residents.
Police chiefs in some of Alabama's biggest cities say they are having a harder time recruiting and they are concerned that if trends continue they could have trouble putting enough officers on the street.
The Ferguson Police Department does not have as many police officers as it’s supposed to have, nor as many as the mayor has claimed – and a dispatcher has resigned, saying the department cannot do its job and is putting police and citizens in danger.