CLEVELAND — Cleveland continues to struggle to recruit and retain police officers.
News 5 Investigators found 87 officers left the force between Jan. 1 and Sept. 1 this year. Records show 42 of the officers who left the department resigned.
Records also show 39 officers retired, and three were terminated. One officer left for medical reasons, and two other officers passed away.
News 5 Investigators first told you how the city's police officers were leaving the force at an alarming rate more than two years ago in our exclusive investigative series "Dangerously Understaffed."
Police chief's response
When asked about staffing concerns during a Cleveland City Council Public Safety meeting on Wednesday, Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said the numbers aren't as bad as they seem.
"When the phrase understaffed is constantly thrown around, I am challenged by that," said Todd. "It really bothers me."
"They're basing numbers on past police enforcement. It's how we did our job before," she said. "We have technology now. We have analysts now. We have a lot of other factors that exist just beyond the officers who are answering the calls for service."
"I think we're doing a great job," Todd added. "We could do more with more but we're holding our own and we're managing very well."
Recruitment
Despite a boost in base pay, signing bonuses, and other incentives for the city's officers, Cleveland also continues to struggle to recruit new cadets.
There are currently 73 cadets in two separate police academy classes.
The first class has 40 cadets. They graduate in November.
The other class will graduate early next year.
The city plans to start a third police academy class in December. The number of new recruits who will be in the class is unclear at this time.
