Recent campaign by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department helps brings in 124 applicants

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - As the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department works to fill out their ranks, a hiring campaign is being touted as a success.

With funding from the St. Louis Police Foundation, an ad campaign which kicked off in May has drawn 124 applicants to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Spokesperson Mitch McCoy says the recent level of applications received is a vast improvement from previous months.

"From January 2024 to April 2024, we averaged 30 applications a month," said McCoy. "From May 2024 to roughly June 2024, we averaged 60 applicants a month."

Among the applicants included 24 people who have chosen to return to the department after initially leaving to work for another agency.

Despite the recent increase in applications, the work by the department to retain officers is still a work in progress, with McCoy stating the department has to stay competitive when it comes to salary and that is in negotiation with city hall right now.

McCoy says their officers are being poached in part due to the training they undergo to join the St. Louis City Police.

"Nearby cities take advantage of our officers who are being trained with some of the best technology and some of the best tactics," said McCoy. "Of course other police departments are going to try and poach them. Who wouldn't?"

McCoy says these applicants are being reviewed for entry into the next academy class.

There is a class of nine officers set to graduate at the end of this week with another class currently undergoing training.