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Oak Island police urge hires, equipment and programs amid recruitment squeeze
Summary
Police Chief Charlie Morris told the council the department faces recruitment and retention pressures and requested phased market adjustments, support for a two-dog K‑9 unit, drone pilots, an internal shooting range at the airport site and maintenance for vehicles and evidence storage.
Chief Charlie Morris outlined three priorities that shaped his budget request: service, safety and accountability. He told the council the department averages about three minutes for emergency response and maintains a crime‑clearance rate staff estimate at around 60%.
"When you dial 911 within 3 minutes, a police car is sitting in front of your house," Morris said, emphasizing response-time performance as a key measure of service.
Morris described acute hiring challenges: while Oak Island has been competitive in recent years, neighboring agencies’ rising starting pay and aggressive recruiting at the Basic Law Enforcement training (BLET) pool have thinned…
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