YORK, S.C. — A Halloween meme is highlighting a very real issue. You may have seen a post on your social media pages that reads: “Due to a nationwide staffing shortage, any kid dressed like a cop on Halloween will be required to pick up a shift."
The post went viral, but there are no tricks here. Law enforcement agencies say they are dealing with shortages.
“If you want to dress up as a deputy or police officer for Halloween, go ahead and do that," Trent Faris with the York County Sheriff's Office said. "But if you want to put on a real uniform, come on down and we’ll talk to you."
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The York County Sheriff’s Office is hiring for both detention officers and enforcement deputies. Since 2019, Deputy Trent Faris said the department has had a need for both and they’re not alone. This is a nationwide issue.
According to the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum, the number of law enforcement officers employed by agencies has decreased in recent years, dropping by almost 3.6% from January 2020 to January 2022.
This came as resignations shot up, increasing in 2021 by around 40% from the year before.
“We just need good people and we’ll turn you into great police officers," Faris said. "Especially in our detention division. We have a lot of openings in our detention division."
In nearby Lancaster, the city police department has six openings on patrol, one opening in Special Ops, and four openings for part-time patrol officers.
To help with recruitment, deputies are now allowed to take cars home and the sheriff is working with the county to increase pay. The agency also holds its own job fairs, most recently making an appearance at the South Carolina State Fair in Columbia.
“All of our shifts are good at the moment but say if somebody gets sick or takes the day off, that puts a strain on the other deputies to fill in for that person. That takes one more person off the street," Faris said.
As far as staffing on Halloween, Deputy Faris says because it’s on a Monday, they don’t expect it to be a busy night. They do, however, have deputies on the streets and ready to respond if they need to.
Information for positions at the York County Sheriff's Office is available here.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.