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For Protecting the Palm Beaches brought to you by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, we cover what a spokesperson for the non-profit National Police Association calls a "recruitment and retention crisis in American law enforcement."
Sergeant Betsy Smith says the last few years have brought challenges to police departments across the nation, with many officers leaving the field and agencies unable to fill vacant positions.
"It's going to become more and more dangerous as time goes on if we don't get a handle on this."
She says a number of factors are contributing to the problem, including politics.
"Unfortunately we're in an atmosphere now that, again post-George Floyd, the Defund the Police movement put in place by the Democrat Party has made policing unfortunately political."
Port St. Lucie Police Chief John Bolduc says the issues are effecting his department.
"I've had young officers tell me I don't know if I want to go the rest of my career, the rest of my life, being in a profession that's looked down on."
Gov. Ron DeSantis launched a program to boost police recruiting by offering $5,000 bonuses to officers from other states. Chief Bolduc says he has seven potential hires who could qualify.
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