BY THE NUMBERS: Birmingham police department down 25% of its sworn officers

Birmingham's police department is experiencing a significant shortage of officers. The city is down about a fourth of its sworn officers.Back in May, WVTM 13 was the first to report that the city was down nearly 300 law enforcement officers. On Tuesday, after originally announcing the city was only down 63 patrol officers, Mayor Randall Woodfin updated that figure to 172 patrol vacancies out of 440 they need. But that is just in the patrol division, which makes up half of the police department's crime-fighting force.>> 'HEFTY PRICE FOR SAFETY': Birmingham police propose $16M recruitment planWVTM 13 asked for the total number of vacant positions in the department to clarify.As of Thursday, there are 851 budgeted sworn officer positions inside the Birmingham Police Department.The mayor's office told WVTM 13 that there are 223 open positions, with 75% of those in patrol and the rest in other divisions.This means that there are 628 badge-wearing officers available to fight crime in the city.The shortage of officers in Birmingham is a pressing issue, impacting the city's ability to effectively combat crime. The updated figures from Mayor Woodfin highlight the critical need for more officers to ensure public safety. The city continues to seek solutions to address this shortage and bolster its police force.>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free