(Photo by Chris DiGiamo)

This post has been updated

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced two programs today to boost hiring at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Facing low staffing and recruitment levels for years now, MPD staff is well below levels approved by the D.C. Council (4,000) and what D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has said is the minimum threshold for effective policing in the District (3,800).

At 3,750, “this is the lowest number of officers we’ve had since 2004,” Lanier told WTOP last month.

Part of the problem is a wave of retirements from a hiring push in 1989, but the Washington City Paper also reports a high attrition rate from experienced, but non-retirement-aged officers dissatisfied with the force (and nearby police departments are wasting no time in recruiting them).

To stem the tide, Bowser is proposing a bill that would authorize Lanier to rehire retired MPD sergeants and detectives “thus assisting MPD in retaining experienced, highly qualified members who can help to train the next generation of investigations, managers, and leaders.”

A second piece of proposed legislation would expand the pool of participants in a cadet program for young adults in D.C. by raising the age limit from 21 to 25. According to Bowser’s office, there are 19 cadets in the program currently, which employs high school graduates in MPD civilian positions for 20 hours a week. Once they complete an associate degree program, they enter training to become an officer.

Lanier said she has already started receiving emails from people who would become eligible for the program, saying it will help longtime Washingtonians get on the force who otherwise might be unable to do so. “Nobody should be prohibited from being a police officer in their own city because they can’t afford college.”

“The new measures [Bowser is] proposing with retaining and bringing on additional officers is going to be a tremendous help to us,” the chief added, saying they join several others that have freed up “chunks” of the force to get back on the street.