After a couple of years, the Jefferson Police Department is once again fully staffed.

Officer Janelle Brophy was approved by the City Council this past January, pulling the police department back up to eight. The department has had troubles keeping a full staff, since the Council approved to add an eighth position in 2016. Police Chief Mark Clouse says it’s been a rollercoaster.

“Just as we would start to gain momentum and get to that eighth position to fill it, we would lose an officer somewhere else. So we were always filling the sixth and seventh positions and didn’t get to the eighth. But we got up and we’re eight strong now.” 

Clouse points out hiring officers has become even more evident since the pandemic, which is making it even harder considering the current worker shortage across the country.

“The lack of people wanting to work, the lack of people wanting to do that specific job. And I know every small employer, large employer, every employer in America right now is scrambling with that. We’ve actually been experiencing that for three, four, five years in law enforcement. I’m not glad that everybody else is feeling that pain, like we have been, but I think people have a better understanding.”     

Clouse is happy with who is working in his department and will continue to train the newer officers and look to retain them as they become part of the community.