Yuma police officials are looking for ways to attract and retain officers now that law enforcement agencies across Arizona are recruiting to fill positions that had been empty for many years.
The Yuma Sun reports that losing officers wasn't a major issue in recent years due to the recession.
But now that the economy has improved, Yuma is facing a problem because it can't afford to pay its officers competitive wages.
Police Chief John Lekan says his agency has lost 33 officers over the past year. Most were lured away by agencies offering better pay and benefits.
Yuma can hire up to 179 officers and is currently 14 officers short of being fully-staffed.
