Law enforcement

Law enforcement struggling to retain officers

An April 2016 report by the U.S. Department of Justice shows the number of sworn police officers nationwide grew incrementally until 2012, when the total plummeted from 768,287 to 750,340.

That decline is reflected locally as well. The city of Spartanburg is authorized for 130 police officers but only has 122. It’s a change from past years, when the department was fully staffed, said Maj. Art Littlejohn, the city’s patrol commander.

The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office is authorized to have 296 officers, but about 25 of those slots are vacant. Those openings “are because of folks retiring or leaving for better paying jobs,” said Sheriff’s Office Lt. Kevin Bobo.