The City of Fresno has plans to recruit 100 new officers in the next 18 months. The Fresno Bee reports that meeting this goal will be exceptionally challenging. The Bee cites high crime rates and increased public scrutiny as a result of heavily publicized officer involved shootings throughout the nation. Another difficulty has been budget cuts that led to the elimination of the cadet training program several years ago as a result of the Great Recession. This cadet program offered training and preparation for future officers before they entered the academy. The cadet program is being rebuilt but will certainly take time to develop again.
Police officers are under a tremendous amount of pressure. When they are understaffed, they face even more challenges. In the interest of public safety and defense of the Constitution, all residents of Fresno should be hoping for success with the police recruitment efforts. With retirements upcoming and recruitment challenges ongoing, the Fresno Police need all of the support the community can muster.