ST. LOUIS — There’s a push to get more police onto the streets of St. Louis. Thursday evening was a step in the right direction as nine new recruits received their badges.
The work now continues to put a dent in the city's police staffing shortage.
"I saw the state the community was in especially post-COVID. It really struck a chord with me,” said 24 year old Devon Colome, one of the city's newest police officers.
He just received his badge Thursday. "I want to kind of be a change in the community," he said.
He and eight other recruits graduated, now joining the ranks of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Sources say 23 came in with the class. Nine crossed the finish line.
"Once you get into the academy, there is the educational part of it, physical part of it, firearm qualifications. You get multiple opportunities to pass and some people aren't fit and it doesn't work out,” said Joe Steiger with The St. Louis Police Officers Association.
Joe Steiger with the police officer's association welcomes the new additions but says in order to give morale a boost within the department, current officers need more relief.
"They are still feeling… they are stressed out, they are overworked, they are asking for help. That's a constant occurrence here,” he said. He believes a focus on retention will make things better. “Enticing people to stay and once you get them here, you can improve things and make morale better and get some bodies on the street."
While the department is down more than 300 officers, the Chief Robert Tracy said it’s about quality.
"We’re going to make sure we put the best trained police officers out there,” he said.
Some 17 others are now on the path to potentially graduating from the academy in November.
"If you’re not going to be honest with people or hold yourself to a higher standard, then I don't think it's the job for you,” Colome said.
The police union said this year, 50 officers left the department. The police department said it received more than 100 applicants in the past couple of months and that ongoing recruitment efforts are happening every day.