- A new study finds nearly three-quarters of Michigan law enforcement agencies struggle to recruit qualified officers
- Some departments offer signing bonuses up to $5,000 to attract already-trained officers
- Proposed solutions include raising pay and benefits, as communities find it difficult to compete with private sector wages.
Police agencies throughout Michigan are struggling to hire qualified officers, a new study finds, exacerbating an officer shortage that has hit forces nationwide.
A University of Michigan study released Tuesday found that 72% report difficult hiring and another 48% said they had problems keeping officers of the 1,800 Michigan cities, townships and counties surveyed.
In 2015, just 22% of Michigan communities expressed trouble finding officers, according to the study…