ST. LOUIS — At a time when St. Louis is short on police officers, another major city is recruiting cops in the Gateway City.
Atlanta police are holding a job fair in St. Louis, this weekend.
The Atlanta police job event runs Friday through Sunday at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch. Atlanta police have been doing recruiting efforts outside of Georgia for some time.
In a story from the Tegna affiliate in Atlanta, an Atlanta Police spokeswoman said, “Any time we post anything on social media, I notice that people say, ‘Why are we not recruiting in Atlanta?’ We are definitely recruiting in Atlanta. We want people from the South. We want people from the North, the Midwest. We want people from everywhere to come and join our great department in our great city.”
According to the Atlanta Police Department website, the department held hiring events in Chicago, Detroit, Miami, New Orleans, New York and Orlando this year.
It's a controversial move as other cities like St. Louis struggle to fill the ranks.
As recently as 2020, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department was 129 officers short. Last year, St. Louis police reported 71 new hires, 165 job openings and 138 veteran officers leaving the department.
For more information about career openings with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, click here.
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