Colorado cities continue having problems recruiting police

New York Police officers gather outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Officer Wilbert Mora’s funeral, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in New York. For the second time in under a week, police converged on New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral to pay tribute to a young officer gunned down while answering a call for help in Harlem. Mora was shot along with Officer Jason Rivera on Jan. 22 while responding to a call about a domestic argument in an apartment. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

by: DJ Summers

Posted: Feb 4, 2022 / 04:11 PM MST

Updated: Feb 4, 2022 / 04:11 PM MST

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DENVER (KDVR) — Coloradans don’t seem to want to be cops.

A large majority of the state’s municipalities with their own police force say they’re having trouble getting new recruits, according to a survey from the 2,000+ towns and cities that are members of the Colorado Municipal League. In the response, 80% say recruitment is difficult.

Municipalities don’t chalk up recruitment issues to a single cause, but some causes related to public attitudes towards police are more widespread than others.

In large cities with over 25,000 people, 86% of cities said they have trouble attracting recruits due to current public perceptions of police. Another 79% said the trouble is caused by recent changes to state laws increasing civil and criminal liability for police officers.

Cities say they’re trying to cover the costs of police academies, provide take-home vehicles and provide better pay and benefits to attract candidates.