The Windsor Police Service is in the process of recruiting and hiring 24 new officers, but it may take time.
“Now's a great opportunity if you're looking for a career in policing, to apply," says board chair Drew Dilkens.
Chief Al Frederick indicates the first 12 officers are set aside for a problem oriented policing unit in the core and may not be on the streets until mid-2019.
The next 12 “could be by the end of next year, or early 2020."
Frederick says the force is stretched thin as it deals with the ongoing opioid epidemic, rising crime rates and 10 murder investigations this year.
Right now Frederick tells CTV News he's re-organizing staffing, so cops will be on duty to best correspond with peak crime time.
“It's a bit of a shell game right now, but we're putting our resources where we need them, and that's downtown," says Frederick.
It won't be cheap. The police service will present a budget to Windsor council in January, requesting a 6.4 per cent increase from $83-million annually, to $89.2-million.
“It is another set of pressers that feed into the budget,” says Dilkens. “But it's an $800,000,000 budget. It's complex and when it comes to public safety we're going to make sure the right response is on the street to deal with the calls for service."
Mayor Dilkens wouldn't speculate whether it would lead to a tax increase, but he says council is aware of the need.
“We need more boots on the street, to be honest, to be able to respond to the increasing call volume," says Dilkens.
In all 50 people retired from Windsor police last year.
Frederick says they're also trying to create a more diverse force, which will include hiring more minorities and women.
