North Texas Police Departments Seeing Drop In Applicants
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
GARLAND (CBS 11 NEWS) - The Garland Police Department is expanding its force by 18 officers in the next two years -- as all long as it can find enough qualified applicants.
"The pool is a little smaller to drawl from these days," said Joe Horn, a spokesman for the department.
Several police departments across North Texas are reporting similar drops in applications.
"I think it's very fair to say the economy is a big part of that," said Horn.
Along with allure of higher paying jobs in the private sector, many believe there could be another reason for the drop in interest.
High profile cases in Ferguson, Baltimore, and McKinney have changed many people's perception of the profession.
Horn said, "We as police officers across this country have been cast in a bad light."
And that may be keeping some away.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)