Police and fire lateral hiring
Summary
MPD is trying two lateral police officer recruitments this year instead of one, and the fire department's lateral transfer eligible list will feed the spring 2027 recruit class — both aimed at filling staffing gaps faster.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 2 meetings in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 1, 2026.
Impact analysis
Failure to grow the force risks more than $30 million in state shared revenue under Act 12.
Residents benefit from faster police and fire staffing through experienced hires.
Mentions & discussions (4)
FIRE AND POLICE COMMISSION — October 1, 2026
MPD is trying two lateral police officer recruitments this year instead of one, and the fire department's lateral transfer eligible list will feed the spring 2027 recruit class — both aimed at filling staffing gaps faster.
FIRE AND POLICE COMMISSION — September 17, 2026
MPD is moving from year-round police officer recruiting to three fixed three-month application windows a year, which staff say will give them reset time, clearer expectations for candidates, and more incentive to follow through.
FINANCE & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE — May 28, 2026
Applications have roughly doubled under the Safeguard Recruiting contract, but academy classes haven't grown — Ald. Burgelis flagged that more applicants alone won't meet Act 12 staffing requirements.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HEALTH COMMITTEE — May 21, 2026
Applications jumped from about 1,300 to 1,800 and are on pace to exceed 2,000 this year, but academy classes still run 30-45 instead of the needed 65. The city must grow the force to meet Act 12 maintenance-of-effort requirements or risk losing $30 million in state shared revenue; new testing and physical-readiness changes are planned.
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