No hires yet for South Bend police in last two recruiting cycles
Last year, Elijah Arias was recognized as the South Bend Police Department’s Officer of the Year.
Earlier this month, Arias and two other former South Bend officers were sworn in at the Mishawaka Police Department, leaving South Bend with a shortfall of officers after two recent recruiting cycles yielded no new hires.
South Bend currently has 228 sworn officers, but the department will be budgeted for 243 officers starting in 2020, leaving police leadership to figure out a way to increase recruiting.
“Replacements just don’t just happen overnight,” said South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski. “We’re slated to have 243 sworn officers and we’re far from that right now.”
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Ruszkowski said “sensationalized” media coverage has been one reason for a decrease in qualified applicants and that the department needs to do a better job getting its positive stories out to the public.
Ruszkowski declined to elaborate on what he meant about the media coverage.
Read more: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/publicsafety/no-hires-yet-for-south-bend-police-in-last-two/article_e5f9a37e-c81f-532c-8433-4099b9d387cb.html