Police staffing edges up to 438 in 2024; department outlines incentives and 2025 goals

Shreveport City Police reported to the Public Safety Committee on April 21 that the department ended 2023 with 432 sworn officers and finished 2024 with 438.

Police officials said the department expects a graduation this week of eight recruits and is aiming for roughly 450 officers by the end of 2025. Staff said two full‑time recruiters are working statewide to meet that target but noted attrition from retirements and other departures remains a challenge.

Committee members received a breakdown of incentive payments the department used in 2024. Staff described a $300 recruitment referral incentive for current officers (paid in three $100 installments at hire, at graduation and after one year) and said the department has paid $3,100 so far in referral incentives. The department reported paying $215,000 in firearms-incentive payments in 2024 and described a physical‑fitness incentive (spoken in the meeting as “a hundred and $3,500” for 2024). New-hire and lateral hiring incentives were also described: staff said they paid a total of $7,200 to new hires for the 2024 classes (with $2,400 at graduation and $4,800 after the first year) and that lateral hires receive payments totaling $10,000 (a $5,000 payment on hiring plus two $2,500 payments at 18 and 24 months). Staff said $118,200 has been paid to date for new-hire and lateral incentives.

Officials said the incentives appear to have helped retention: the department reported three laterals hired in 2024 and two so far in 2025. Committee members asked about an “ideal” staffing number; officials referred to a past Belle Meade/Bellamy-style study and said an ideal staffing estimate discussed historically was about 550 officers, but that modern changes in technology and demand affect how the city calculates ideal manpower.

No formal action was taken; committee members asked staff to continue recruitment efforts and provide updates.