ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The St. Petersburg Police Department is looking to add 38 new officer positions throughout the next three years to keep up with a rapidly growing community.
City council members already approved the proposal in one reading, but the measure would have to pass two more readings before the department got the OK to hire those new officers.
The price tag for the new positions would total about $3.5 million over the three years; that includes equipment, training, vehicles and any other costs associated with taking on more officers.
Chief Anthony Holloway pointed to the increase in population, with nearly 10,000 people moving to the city from 2015-2018, and traffic as reasons for the needed uptick in officers. He told ABC Action News he would like to improve response times.
City council members could give final approval to the proposal during their meeting next Thursday.
