TPD had 605 officers as of May 16, nearly 100 officers short of Mayor Wade Kapsudkiewicz’s 2021 goal of 700 officers. TPD hopes to hire 40 police officers for the fiscal year ending March 2025.
TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Police Department is facing problems when it comes to hiring, and the city of Toledo knows it.
“There seems to be a general atmosphere right now that being a police officer is not a desirable job to have,” Toledo City Councilman John Hobbs III said.
As of May 16, TPD had 605 members, nearly 100 members short of Mayor Wade Kapsudkiewicz’s goal of 700 three years ago.
“This is not just a Toledo thing, this is a national epidemic,” Hobbs said.
According to the Police Executive Research Forum, an independent research organization, the number of new police officers across the country fell by 4.8% from January 2020 to January 2023.
TPD hopes to hire 40 officers for the fiscal year ending in March 2025, and Police Chief Michael Trondl said they will do so by maintaining much the same procedures as in past years.
“The standards haven’t changed,” Trondl said. “Once they enter the school, complete their basic education and get a job, they have to take and pass a physical fitness pre-entry exam. So that hasn’t changed over the years.”
But what has changed? Mental health resources for executives.
“In the 30 years I’ve been in this business, we’ve learned a lot,” Trindle said. “We’re doing a lot for our officers and their mental health, and we’ve got wellness days and a lot of things available to officers that weren’t available 30 years ago.”
Police officers will be given 42 health days.
With impressive progress, officials say more can be done. Police leaders believe that improving the relationship between the community and the police will go a long way.
“I believe healthy police officers, happy police officers, and police officers who enjoy their jobs create safer communities,” Hobbs said. “I think it adds an element of, if I feel good when they interact with someone in public, I feel better when I’m with you.”