Police shortages reported nationwide amid record-low morale and recruitment

September 19, 2023 at 08:55

An ongoing national police shortage has left metropolitan cities, as well as America's small towns, without enough officers and some police departments have shuttered completely amid record-low officer morale and dismal recruitment, according to experts.
Large cities in the U.S. are facing officer shortages and at least a dozen small towns in America have disbanded their police units over the last two years due to hiring struggles.
As a result, local sheriffs and larger police departments in surrounding areas are being forced to pick up the slack.
"When you look at what is happening in America, you have a twofold scenario taking place when it comes to law enforcement officers, the first thing is law enforcement officers feel that they are very much disrespected and that the work that they do, that they are not appreciated," former homicide detective and FOX News contributor Ted Williams told FOX News Digital.
"As a result of that, morale is very, very low in law enforcement agencies throughout the country and that includes small towns as well as major metropolitan urban locations."
Joe Gamaldi, the National Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), agreed, pointing to negative public opinion and low morale for "the worst staffing crisis" ever seen in law enforcement.
Meanwhile, "recruitment is in the tank… which means we have experienced officers walking out the door with no one to replace them," Gamaldi said.
As larger, neighboring departments work to fill the gap, their understaffed precincts face similar difficulties, which only exacerbates the problem, he added.
"If they can not get quality officers, the small town police departments are disbanded, and they are leaving the work to state law enforcement officers to come in and fill in that void."
"We have seen politicians, some in media, activists, and grifters attempt to garner power and influence by demonizing and denigrating the noble profession of law enforcement," he said.
"Many (meaning a large plurality) departments around the country—but particularly in big cities—are struggling to hire and retain new officers, leaving budgeted positions unfilled, shifts understaffed, and 911 callers left waiting," he said.
"Criminals are smart, they can see how their criminal activity affects the way law enforcement conduct their job," Williams said.
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