FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) – The Fayetteville Police Chief said he and Mayor Lioneld Jordan are asking the city for more police officers.
Chief Mike Reynolds said he requested funds last week from the Fayetteville City Council to hire four more officers and one dispatcher.
While it has not been voted on yet, the Fayetteville Chief Financial Officer said that it would cost around $300,000.
Reynolds said this is crucial for the department’s retention rate as it continues to face significant shortages, with 16 officers leaving just in the last year.
“The demands are there and when I talked to the officers that are leaving this agency, overwhelmingly it’s just the demand and the workload and not having enough officers on the street to get the support that they need,” Reynolds said.
The CFO said this issue is still preliminary but the city council is expected to vote on this proposal in November.