Kroger shooting: Suspect coming out of store fires at officers before they shoot him dead

https://www.wlky.com/article/lmpd-reorganization-puts-24-officers-back-on-the-streets/30138848#

Command blames the budget for the officer shortfall, but that's making a false assumption they can actually find enough interested and qualified applicants willing to finish training and stay on the street afterwards. For several years now, officers have been leaving quicker than the department can hire and fully train new officers.

What he should say is LMPD pays too little and demoralizes officers too quickly to allow for recruitment and retention to be at acceptable levels. Retiring at 20 used to be relatively rare and now everyone is doing it. Recruits quit less than a few years after they're hired. Mid-career officers go to small cities and other types of jobs much more often than they used to.

The department needs to be changed back into what it was before merger, which was departments that people wanted to work at. It won't happen with the current Mayor.