Many argue cities must hire more police, but against the backdrop of nationwide scrutiny of police killings, morale has dropped to the point that few people want to be officers.
That’s about 4,000 people out of nearly half a million employees in municipal police departments and sheriff’s offices nationwide.
Local Police Employment Remained Steady During The Pandemic From 2019 to 2020, the number of people working at local police departments and sheriff's offices decreased by less than 1%, according to monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Even as many industries started to bounce back, local police hiring hasn’t picked up because it takes months, or even years, to train to become a police officer.
Compare police employment with all industries restaurants education healthcare Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Cities — big and small — are jumping on that offer, with claims that their police departments are running out of officers.
Currently, 75 police officers work at the Burlington Police Department. »