By 2023, the aftereffects of the COVID pandemic, a national decline in law enforcement recruitment,
retirements, injuries, and the future uncertainty of city finances, had left the Freeport Police
Department with just 35 sworn officers—down 13 from its budgeted 48 officers.
 

“Right after the COVID pandemic, it seemed like one thing after another continued to hit us in our
efforts to retain and recruit police officers,” says Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller. “We just couldn’t catch a
break and turn the tide.” With patrol still being the city’s top priority, the police department was forced to

reassign many of its detectives, gang unit members, a school resource officers back to patrol.
“It was a very tough time in the department, but like they always do, our police officers preserved, and
our staff got creative and doubled down on our efforts to find great candidates to become Freeport
police officers,” says Jodi. “Today, we are just two officers from being back up to snuff.”
 

Jodi explains Freeport was one of only a few Illinois police departments to receive a $52,000 recruitment
grant from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standard Board to help the city find new
candidates. The city implemented a new process for candidate follow-up, a ride along program for
applicants, retention bonuses to keep seasoned officers, and incentives for officers in other
communities looking to make a lateral move to Freeport. “Our efforts so far have paid off,” says Jodi. “Today we

have five officers in the field training and two in the academy. But what I am most proud of is that we have had

a resurgence in local applicants—people who know Freeport and are making a commitment to staying in our area.”
 

With many new officers being sworn over the past two years, the Freeport Police Department has been
able to reestablish its Gang Detective who alone took 82 guns off the street in Freeport last year. The
department has also reestablished its bilingual School Resource Officer at Freeport School District #145
and is building back its Detective, Special Victims Unit and K-9 units, as well as its participation in the
State Line Area Narcotics Team (SLANT).

“We will always continue to work to make Freeport a safe community for our residents,” says Jodi. “That
begins with a fully-staffed and high functioning police department, and to that end, we are making great
progress.”