Fire and Police Commission reviews 2024 police recruitment results and outlines 2025 strategy

The Fire and Police Commission’s Testing and Recruitment Committee heard a staff report Jan. 7 on police recruitment and hiring results for 2024 and a strategic plan for 2025 that emphasizes expanded advertising, continuous recruitment, new vendor services for testing and backgrounds, and possible hiring incentives.

The committee was told that FPC staff recorded “approximately 1,291 applicants that met the minimum qualifications” for entry-level police officer in 2024 and 56 lateral/transfer applications, of which 16 appeared to meet minimum qualifications at the time of the presentation. Director Leon Todd said the department also recorded 159 police aid applications that met minimum qualifications, “a 75 percent increase from 2023.”

Why it matters: the city must meet staffing targets set by Act 12 and faces a 10-year target for average sworn strength. The committee’s discussion focused on ways to increase both the number of applicants and the percentage who complete testing and are appointed to academy classes.

Todd told the committee the department ran a near-continuous recruitment model through 2024 and is proposing to reopen continuous entry-level recruitment on Jan. 17, 2025. He said the city budget currently…