Harrison: Digital Recruitment Campaign Bearing Fruit

Two months into a digital marketing campaign aimed at hiring more Baltimore City police officers, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the number of people applying to become officers is "sizably larger" than it has been in the past.

“We are seeing a large number of applicants,” Harrison said Wednesday.

He said the numbers are "very promising," adding that the digital marketing efforts are supplemented by recruiting at job fairs, at colleges and from the military.

Harrison said it takes about 120 to 180 days from when an applicant expresses interest to when they join the force.

This marketing campaign included the slogan, "Be a part of the greatest comeback story in America," on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The police department wants to fill the ranks by several hundred people to fight crime, provide more community policing and reduce overtime.

“It amplifies everything we are doing,” Harrison said.

The six-month campaign is costing the city about $200,000.

Baltimore has the eighth-largest police force in the country with 3,100 civilian and sworn personnel, according to the police department. A 2018 report found the police department had a 26.9% vacancy rate.