Syracuse police report staffing shortfall, launch policy review on youth interactions after sheriff incident

Deputy Chief Scholzky and other Syracuse Police Department officials told the Public Safety Committee the department currently has 380 sworn officers, compared with a budgeted headcount of about 428, and that recruitment and retention pose ongoing challenges.

"We're currently sitting at 3 80 sworn officers. I believe we're budgeted for about 4 28," Deputy Chief Scholzky said.

Police leaders reported 174 civilian employees in the department and described multiple recruitment efforts: cadet programs, physical fitness training sessions to help candidates pass the PT test, outreach to colleges and military bases, and a newly launched campaign targeted at New York City officers who might lateral-transfer to Syracuse. Officials said their NYPD-targeted campaign has generated 273 expressions of interest and 37 applications so far, with a Feb. 21 application deadline for that outreach.

Officials warned of a likely wave of retirements: they said roughly 60 officers are eligible to retire and anecdotally estimated the department might lose 20 to 30 officers this year. Department leaders said loss of officers at that scale could force reductions in services or require sustained larger academy classes to recover staffing levels.

The committee spent significant time discussing police interactions with youth after an incident involving the county sheriff’s office prompted scrutiny. Sergeant Grimsley read a department policy excerpt: "A juvenile under 14 years of age should not be restrained unless they are suspected of a dangerous or when the officer has reasonable suspicion that the juvenile may resend attempt to escape. Injure themselves or injure the officer or damaged property." He and other department officials said detainment and parent notification can be situationally complex and that the Syracuse Police Department is re-evaluating its policies in light of the recent incident.

Councilors asked about interagency coordination and whether the Sheriff’s Office should provide a courtesy notification when working inside city limits. Police staff said they share policy documents with the county and routinely exchange operational information but that the county sheriff is an independent elected leader with his own policies; they said they would begin conversations about a possible courtesy notification protocol.

Committee members also urged the department to strengthen school outreach and youth programs; officials said an ongoing program has officers reading in elementary schools (referred to in the meeting as "Pizza in You") and said more officer presence in schools historically helped recruitment and community trust. Police leaders said they would consider options for greater family notification after youth stops and explore prescriptive rules for officer interactions with juveniles while balancing situational discretion.