While the Pennsylvania State Police force is seeing increased interest from people wanting to become troopers, many suburban and rural departments in Western Pennsylvania are facing a challenge trying to attract new officers.
Last year, Murrysville received 18 applications from people interested in becoming police officers for the municipality — half as many as it did just two years earlier.
In New Kensington, the drop has been even more stark. Nine people applied to take the police exam there last year, down from 21 five years earlier, according to the city.
And in Delmont, the police department has shifted to a mostly full-time force to address high turnover and the challenge of retaining part-timers.
Chiefs say it is reflective of the staffing challenges local departments routinely face and a general decline in people turning to law enforcement as a career.