The director of the state board that oversees police officers says he thinks loosening rules for recruits and marijuana use is helping boost academy numbers.
Most law enforcement agencies in Arizona don’t have enough staff.
The change in guidelines reflects people coming of age to wear a badge being less likely to consider legal marijuana as a disqualifying factor.
A new rule cutting the time a police recruit must be marijuana-free to six months from two years doesn’t officially take effect until September.
But agencies have been able to hire people under the new requirement for about a year by petitioning the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.
The board's executive director, Matt Giordano, said the practice has expanded the pool of good applicants.
“The public has different expectations of their incoming police officers than they did 25 years ago, as well as agencies,” he said.
The board reimburses police academies for each graduate. Payments are up so far this year compared to last.
“We’re already seeing an uptick in recruit graduations from our 17 regional police academies around the state,” Giordano said.
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