By Jackee Coe
The Arizona Republic
PEORIA, Ariz. — Police departments across Arizona once again are hiring new officers despite the continued sluggish economy.
When the economy began to tank about three years ago and agencies faced shrinking budgets, police hiring plummeted. But now small and medium-size police agencies are starting to hire more officers, though not nearly at the same level as in 2005.
There are 40 recruits from 13 agencies in the current class at the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in Phoenix, the state’s largest police academy. Fifteen agencies have reserved all of the maximum 56 spots in the class that begins Nov. 28, and one more recruit is on a waiting list.