Mobile Police Adding More Officers
By Dale Hines
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
July 23, 2025
MOBILE Ala. More police officers are on the way to fill open positions at the Mobile Police Department.
Public Safety Director Rob Lasky says the city will have 492 sworn officers with the addition of December’s graduating class. Next budget year, he says that the city plans to add 24 more officers, bringing the total to 516.
Chief of Staff James Barber says that in his 30 years at the Mobile Police Department, the highest number of police officers the department had was 570.
Current population estimates show that the city has 204,200 residents, and national law enforcement recommendations for a city of Mobile is a department of at least 625 officers.
“I hope that if we can reach that 516 number, that maybe we can add another class or two. So, we may be pushing 530-540, but I think in two years, 550 is doable, given the growth of the city and what we can recruit,” said Lasky.
If approved, a $3.1 million U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant will cover the salaries of 15 of the 24 new positions for three years. The city will have to match $785,745 to cover the salaries in the fourth year. Lasky says raising the annual salary, which is now $54,836, helps attract more qualified candidates. He says that’s been a struggle.
Some of the police staffing shortages may be reflected on the “Defund the Police” movement and the negativity of the police profession that has lingered nationwide which continues to hinder recruitment and retention.
However, in some parts of the US, police are once again experiencing more positive movement back to law enforcement which is aiding in some departments maintaining their recommended staffing numbers.
Shootings, drugs, and property crimes continue to rise in the port city according to its own statistics. The city has been fighting this battle for quite some time.
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