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Allentown leaders press staffing needs as council weighs community policing and in‑house CIS positions
Summary
Police and councilmembers discussed community policing, in‑house Crisis Intervention Specialists (CIS), and recruitment amid looming retirements; police leaders said staffing and recruitment initiatives will shape budget requests.
Councilmember Moda pressed police leaders to restore or expand community policing, saying officers embedded in neighborhoods help build trust and reduce fear. “I remember when I was growing up on Second Street, we had a police officer that everyone knew ... we trusted him,” Moda said.
Assistant Chief Grama said the department has not abandoned community policing and described existing community outreach units, school resource officers, the PAL program and a youth mentor academy. He said the department is studying an expanded core response model that would use CIS workers alongside officers and that a state grant is funding an evaluation of that approach conducted with contracted CIS workers.
On staffing, Grama told council the department faces several retirements this year and more next year and noted the police contract ends in 2026. He gave recruitment and retention figures for the past three years: the department’s background team hired 87 officers while 86 officers left through retirement, resignation or termination. “So we're at plus 1 from that amount,” he said.
Grama described efforts to lower barriers to applicants, including removing an application fee and offering more frequent testing. “Currently, we are testing 3 times a year, and we average about 300, 350 applicants at each time,” he said, but added that conversion rates are low: “For every 100 people, you have about 10 qualified candidates that you have from a list.”
Councilmembers asked about creating in‑house CIS positions rather than relying on contracted staff. Grama said the city authorized a community advocate leader and is piloting in‑house support but cautioned that immediately adding city positions would increase the budget; the department will report findings from the state study as it progresses.
Councilmembers also sought clarity on age and continuation rules. Grama said there is “a codified age limit at 65 where you have to get looked at by the doctors and then council has to approve if you can continue. But 70, I believe, is the cutoff according to the codified, laws.”
Council members emphasized that the broader package of community policing, CIS workers and technology would require more officers. A councilmember summarized the point: “If we want all these things ... we need more police officers.” Assistant Chief Grama confirmed the department is below several commonly cited staffing benchmarks, noting the FBI formula and saying Allentown’s current sworn strength is around the low‑to‑mid‑200s.
Grama closed by inviting council to ride alongs, announcing a senior citizen civilian academy and a civilian academy open to residents who want to learn about the department’s divisions.
No formal votes or personnel actions were taken; council and police leaders discussed staffing and directed staff to continue providing recruitment data and to include staffing needs in the budget conversation.
