SALISBURY TWP., Pa. – It’s been a difficult year for police across Pennsylvania with many dispatch calls turning deadly.
It comes as law enforcement faces a recruitment and retention crisis.
“There are not enough people that want to be police officers,” says PA Attorney General Dave Sunday.
Sunday says statewide, the situation is a crisis.
So much so that in May, the state Senate adopted a resolution creating a law enforcement recruitment and retention task force.
‘”What we are trying to do is identify ways of course where we can find more people to become police officers,” says Sunday.
The task force will work to identify the causes of staffing challenges and find solutions. It will make its recommendations to lawmakers by late spring.
In Salisbury Twp., Lehigh County, the police department is full.
In other municipalities across our area, however, applications have dipped.
“When I first started 25 years ago, there were 300 applicants testing for one position. During the covid era and right after covid we were in the teens,” says Chief Donald Sabo.
Sabo says this year, that number has gone up slightly and he hopes that trend can continue.
“I’m thinking that we’re gonna see a little bit of a shift with more people wanting to get into this noble profession become police officers and make a career and at the end of the day do a great job and help people in their darkest day or darkest hour of need,” Sabo says.