CHARLOTTE — Next week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department will welcome its largest recruiting class ever.
As we’ve reported, like many police departments around the country, it’s been a challenge for CMPD to hire officers. In the 1990s, a wave of federal money funded a mass hiring of officers. Now, the majority of them are retiring, and fewer people than ever are signing up.
Back in January, the department had about 300 open positions.
But on Monday, 82 recruits will start their journey to get their badges.
Recruitment has been a priority for Chief Johnny Jennings since he became the leading officer.
CMPD said they’ve also seen an 18% increase in applications.
(WATCH BELOW: CMPD pledged to increase the number of women in its ranks)
©2023 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
