WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — The Winston-Salem Police Department is working to fill its 112 vacant officer positions, and the department is starting to make a dent.
In fact, their recruitment efforts are paying off in a major way. They’re expecting their largest class of new officers since before the pandemic.
For Winston-Salem police, it’s all about the culture. They’re working to show what it’s like to be a police officer in Winston-Salem by using social media and setting a tone that starts at the top with their chief.
“Nationwide, we haven’t fully recovered from the Ferguson Effect and what happened in Ferguson, Missouri,” WSPD Chief William Penn said.
Penn points back to almost ten years ago when things changed after Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer.
“After COVID and after George Floyd was killed, it got even worse,” Penn said.
The WSPD has been operating for several years with roughly 20 percent fewer officer than the department needs.
“It’s been a rough last, six, seven, eight years,” he said