For the past several years, police agencies across the country have struggled to hire and keep enough officers. Staffing has started to recover, but many departments, especially large ones, are still running short. That means more overtime, more fatigue and less time for proactive work.
This guide looks at where police staffing stands today, what’s driving the shortage, how
it affects agencies and communities, and what departments are doing about it.
Is there still a police shortage?
Yes, though it’s easing. The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) surveys agencies every year on hiring, resignations and retirements. PERF’s 2026 survey of 197 agencies found:
- – Total sworn staffing rose 1.4% in 2025, bringing agencies back to about their 2022 levels, but still below where they were before 2020.
- – Agencies hired 17.6% more officers in 2025 than in 2024, and 40% more than in 2021.
- – Resignations were flat, but retirements rose 16.4% in 2025.
Large agencies are hit hardest
The recovery isn’t even. In PERF’s 2025 survey, large agencies (250 or more officers) had 6% fewer officers at the start of 2025 than at the start of 2020. Medium and small agencies had slightly more.
Headcount does not tell the whole coverage story. An agency may have more officers on payroll but still struggle to fill a shift when leave, training and other assignments affect availability. Leaders need to understand who is available and qualified for each assignment, alongside how many positions are filled.
What’s causing the police shortage?
There’s no single cause. Most agencies are dealing with several at once:
- – A wave of departures after 2020. From 2020 to 2021, police resignations rose 18% and retirements rose nearly 50%, while hiring fell 5%, according to UNC’s ncIMPACT Initiative. Agencies are still rebuilding from that loss.
- – Retirements. Experienced officers continue to retire, and retirements jumped again in 2025.
- – A slower hiring pipeline. Long application and background processes lose candidates to other employers. Many agencies have responded by streamlining hiring and adjusting education requirements.
- – Burnout and scheduling. Short-staffed agencies lean on overtime, which leads to fatigue and more departures. Police burnout feeds the shortage it comes from.
- – Public perception. Changing attitudes toward policing have made recruiting harder in some communities.
How the police shortage affects agencies and communities
When an agency is short, the work doesn’t shrink. It shifts to the officers who are left:
- – More overtime. Vacancies are filled with overtime, which strains budgets. Read more about police overtime and how to reduce it.
- – More fatigue. Long hours reduce alertness and judgment, which puts officers and the public at risk.
- – Less proactive policing. With fewer officers, agencies focus on answering calls and have less time for community engagement and prevention.
- – More turnover. Overworked officers are more likely to leave, which deepens the shortage.
How to deal with the police shortage: 8 strategies
1. Know how many officers you actually need
Start with a clear picture of your staffing needs. A workload-based staffing analysis looks at calls for service, time spent per call and time for proactive work, so you can make the case for positions and set realistic targets. See How Many Police Officers Does Your PD Need?
2. Speed up and modernize recruitment
Make it easy for good candidates to say yes. Shorten the application and background process, keep candidates updated at every step, and recruit where your future officers already are: high schools, colleges, the military and social media. PERF’s survey found agencies are also using signing bonuses and revisiting education requirements. For more, see Tips for Better Recruitment and Retention.
3. Make retention a priority
Every officer you keep is one you don’t have to replace. Offer clear paths for promotion and specialized assignments, invest in ongoing training, and keep total compensation competitive. Some agencies are adding retention bonuses and child care support.
4. Reassess response priorities and share the load
Not every call needs a sworn officer. Review which calls get an in-person response, and move eligible reports to online or phone reporting. Civilian staff, community service officers and local partners such as mental health and social service organizations can take on work that doesn’t require police powers.
5. Schedule smarter with the officers you have
When staffing is tight, scheduling decides whether the load is shared fairly or falls on the same few officers. Smart scheduling helps you:
When staffing is tight, scheduling helps supervisors distribute the load according to agency rules and see when it falls on the same few officers. Smart scheduling helps you:
- – Identify coverage gaps early and check which personnel are eligible to fill them
- – Distribute overtime according to agency rules and track who’s working too many hours
- – Give officers predictable schedules and more control through shift trades and bidding
- – Use data to see where coverage gaps and overtime are coming from
InTime Scheduling and Overtime Management apply your agency’s configured rules automatically, helping supervisors manage routine checks and overtime assignments while retaining control over decisions and exceptions.
Technology cannot replace adequate staffing, but it can make unresolved coverage gaps visible so leaders can act.
6. Protect officer wellness and work-life balance
Burnout drives resignations. Provide confidential mental health support, peer support and wellness programs, and make sure officers can actually take their time off. Review shift patterns against workload and recovery time. Longer shifts may provide more days off, but they do not automatically improve wellness. NIJ-sponsored research found greater sleepiness and lower alertness among officers working 12-hour shifts than those working eight-hour shifts.
7. Use technology to cut admin time
Reducing duplicate data entry and manual coordination can give personnel more time for operational priorities. Tools like electronic citations, automated scheduling and digital court notifications reduce administrative work and free up time for patrol. InTime Wellness uses scheduling data to flag officers who may be at risk of burnout.
8. Build community trust
Strong community relationships help with both recruiting and retention. Community policing, youth programs and regular engagement build trust, and residents who trust their police department are more likely to see it as a place to work.
The bottom line
Police staffing is recovering, but slowly and unevenly, and many agencies are still short. The departments that come through best are working on both sides: bringing in and keeping more officers, and making the most of the officers they have.
Talk to the InTime team about how smarter scheduling can help your agency manage through a staffing shortage.
Frequently asked questions about the police shortage
Staffing is improving but hasn’t fully recovered. PERF’s 2026 survey found sworn staffing rose 1.4% in 2025, returning to about 2022 levels, but remains below pre-2020 levels. Large agencies have been hit hardest.
The main causes are a spike in resignations and retirements after 2020, continued retirements, slow hiring processes, burnout from overtime and long shifts, and changing public attitudes toward policing.
Short-staffed agencies rely on overtime, which increases officer fatigue and costs. They also have less time for proactive and community policing, and overworked officers are more likely to leave.
Agencies are streamlining hiring, focusing on retention, moving non-emergency work to civilians and partners, scheduling more efficiently, investing in officer wellness, and using technology to reduce administrative work.
Large agencies. PERF found agencies with 250 or more officers had 6% fewer officers at the start of 2025 than in 2020, while medium and small agencies had slightly more.
