Arizona’s three public universities are teaming up to help police and fire departments across the state to solve one of their biggest challenges: staffing shortages.
Using a taxpayer-funded grant from the Arizona Board of Regents, researchers from Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University will work to quantify the magnitude of the problem.
They’ll also come up with strategies to recruit and retain front-line and sworn personnel from entry-level to seasoned career positions.
“Those strategies will probably differ for rural and urban areas within the state,” ABOR Chair Lyndel Manson told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
Manson noted staffing shortages is creating problems for many police and fire departments in Arizona.
“We have seen response times increase, which puts the public at greater risk,” she said. “We have also seen the professionals who stay on the job be required to work longer and more hours.”