SALISBURY, MD -- Law enforcement officials from Maryland and Delaware gathered at the second annual 'Law Enforcement Leaders of Delmarva Forum' Wednesday to discuss public safety issues.
One large topic of discussion was the issues of staffing and retaining staff at departments across the peninsula.
"When I was a young trooper working in this community, there were weekends when we had 12 troopers on a shift," Salisbury University Police Chief Edwin Lashley told WBOC. "I don't know what their staffing levels are now, but I doubt any agency has that many officers at all on a shift."
"This is probably one of the few times over the arc of my career where I'm pretty well-resourced, but I don't have the people to use the resources that I have," Dover Police Chief Thomas Johnson Jr. said. "Then I'm using the same people over and over again, and asking them to work extra hours."
Johnson said those extra hours, among other factors of the job, can contribute to officers feeling burnt out. A feeling that Salisbury Police Chief David Meienschein said can lead to retention issues.
"You'll get officers who do wonderful work, but how long can you sustain that?" Meienschein said. "While still getting your time off, or your family time in."
Chief Lashley told WBOC that a lack of staffing can lead departments to then being reactive within their community, rather than being proactive. He said this can lead to a lack of trust, or ability to build community around the department.
However, Lashley said being able to build that community can actually lead to more staffing, something his department has started focusing on.
"We get students who want to become us," Lashley said. "And they are the community. They witness every day what our efforts are to become part of the community."
Police chiefs we spoke with today also said that competitive salaries and a shrinking candidate pool can also contribute to the issue.
"What we need to do is increase our numbers for a situation where officers can feel like they are able to, at that 3, 4, or 5-year mark, they can diversify into something other than pushing the patrol car down the road," Meienschein said.
All three departments told WBOC they are actively looking to hire new personnel.