The county is in the process of hiring a firm to help with police recruitment, officials said during a media briefing Wednesday.
Police Chief Marcus Jones said he thinks it will be a “game changer.”
County Executive Marc Elrich said it is the same firm hired by Fairfax County last year. Jones did not name the firm, saying the county is still in the procurement process, but said the firm was “very beneficial” for Fairfax County’s police department.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is down about 175 officers. In 2022, the department was down by 102 officers, Elrich said.
Elrich said police staffing is one of Gov. Wes Moore’s legislative priorities — the General Assembly session began Wednesday.
Elrich said the county seeks to change a policy that currently mandates retired county employees cannot be brought back. He said the county is looking to change that, and, “for example, be able to take a retired police officer and let them work if they want to work part-time in the county call center” or work desk jobs, rather than patrolling jobs.
Jones said he has been working with Councilmember Dawn Luedtke and Elrich to seek a change in regulations regarding prior cannabis use by candidates that has impacted hiring — “I think in today’s environment, where we are with the legalization of cannabis, that has now restricted law enforcement agencies, particularly the larger agencies across the state,” he said.
The upcoming police academy session will begin at the end of the month, Jones said. The number of candidates is being finalized.
The police department has already seen an uptick in applications for the August class.
Jones said MCPD wants to conduct a survey to evaluate the effect of the $20,000 hiring bonus. He thinks it has provided some significant boost.
