Boise Police Expanding, Needing to Hire as City Grows

Boise is booming. Home prices are through the roof and available housing is few and far between as more and more people move to the Treasure Valley. For the most part this is great for a lot of businesses who are now thriving with the influx. The Boise Police Department are keeping a close eye on the continuous population spike and are needed to expand to meet the demands of a larger population in a short amount of time.

According to The Idaho Press, Boise Police Chief Lee told city council that the department is looking to hire up to an additional 100 officers over the next 10 years to compensate for the population growth. This means that law enforcement jobs are coming available in waves over the next decade. Most likely starting sooner rather than later.

Currently The Boise Police Department has about 400 sworn officers and civilian employees, about 300 being police officers. As a whole across the country, police recruitment and law enforcement career interest is down. According to the Police Executive Research Forum, fewer people are applying to become police officers and more people are leaving the profession after only a few years on the job.

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When the BPD recently posted new positions only 89 people showed up and out of that only 38 did the test to see if they even qualify to move to the next round. Decades ago, thousands would show up eager and excited. Perhaps higher wages and benefits would attract more candidates? Currently, Boise police officers make between $49,254 and $67,970 per year.