Police recruiting suffers as morale hits new lows

By the numbers: Charlotte: Applications were down 26% during the first four months of 2021 compared to the same period last year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department spokesperson Rob Tufano tells Axios. Des Moines: The police department got about 300 applicants last month for its newest class of recruits, roughly 50% fewer than a year ago, according to Sgt. Paul Parizek, a spokesperson for the DMPD. Northwest Arkansas: One recent group who passed initial testing for the Fayetteville Police Department had only 10 applicants qualify for interviews compared to what is typically about 40, due to a smaller applicant pool, according to the department's public information officer Sgt. Anthony Murphy.