Gadsden sworn in five new officers; mayor says force at 93, goal 105; fire staffing near full
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Summary
Mayor Craig Ford said he swore in five new police officers, bringing the department to 93 officers with a goal of 105; he also described training timelines, vehicle purchases and near-full fire department staffing.
Mayor Craig Ford said Gadsden City swore in five new police officers and that the department now has 93 sworn officers, up from the low 70s when he took office. He reiterated a goal of staffing the department with 105 officers.
"I put we swore in 5 new police officers this morning...When I started, we were in the low seventies of police officers, 72 or 73. Today, we have 93 police officers. My goal is to get to a hundred and 5 police officers," Ford said.
He described the training pipeline: about 8 or 9 officers recently finished the academy and are completing a field training phase Ford called "FTA" or ride-along training; the mayor said the full process from swearing in to solo patrol is approximately 10 months. Ford said the city has bought "over 60 new police vehicles" and is rotating vehicles annually and selling excess units on online auction platforms.
On the fire department, Ford said the department was at full staff earlier but has since had retirements and transfers; he said there are about 100 firefighters in roughly 108 authorized slots and the city is hiring to fill vacancies.
The mayor did not provide salary, hiring budget, or precise training schedules during the remarks.