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SPD study suggests need for 28 more patrol cops; chief asks for 8 this year
Officer Jasmyn Perez, left, the Statesboro Police Department’s newest officer, is welcomed aboard by Chief of Police Mike Broadhead after being sworn in by Mayor Jonathan McCollar at the City Hall steps April 16. (Photo courtesy of SPD)
The Statesboro Police Department, whose authorized workforce of 77 people includes 32 regular, or “line level,” patrol officers, could use 28 more, according to an internal study by the department.
But Chief of Police Mike Broadhead realizes that funding and hiring 28 officers in one year would be “impossible,” he told the mayor and City Council. He is instead asking to add eight patrol officer positions in the fiscal year 2022 budget. These include two he requested one year ago but which were never funded after City Manager Charles Penny instituted a conditional hiring freeze over COVID-19 pandemic uncertainties.