Police coverage problems in area municipalities are increasing as local governments struggle with ways to recruit and retain new officers.

Take Lansford, for example, which has been without a police chief since May 2002. Or Lehighton, where last week, its chief resigned for personal reasons.

Many area governing bodies with shrinking budgets already see a shortage of manpower to cover available shifts.

And many of those departments are leaning on state police to help fill in the gaps.

The police problems are a small town example of an exponentially larger issue that faces other communities and extends to law enforcement across the nation.

And to the state police themselves.

Frankly, there just aren’t enough police to go around. For a lot of reasons.

These days, there are roughly 18,000 policing agencies with about a million workers in this country. Of those folks, about 700,000 are sworn officers who pledge to serve and protect - no matter the agency they work for.

Think about this for a bit.

For recruits, taking a pledge to protect and serve a community brings with it myriad responsibilities.

That doesn’t mean just enforcing the law.

Today’s police officers are like Swiss Army knives who need to be prepared to handle anything.

Lost children. Lost parents. Lost pets.

Mental health issues.

Domestic squabbles.

Medical emergencies.

Rape, robbery, vandalism and murder.

And anything in between.

They deal with people sometimes having the best days of their lives or the worst days of their lives.

In addition to their regular training, recruits might rely on life experiences to help guide them through something unfolding right before their eyes. They’re social workers. Medics. Mechanics. Their goal: Defending and promoting the public good.

The state police have recognized the need to beef up the ranks, especially since they’re tasked with providing police services in municipalities that have no coverage and supplementing coverage in communities that are short-staffed.

They face huge obstacles in recruiting new cadets.

There was the COVID pandemic, national calls to defund and dismantle police departments and some extensive coverage of police misconduct. Those things have combined to sour a potential cadet’s ideas on pursuing a law enforcement career, be it local or state.

You might have heard about some tough spots for cops.

Among the more notable cases was the incident involving George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis, Minnesota, three years ago at the hands of officers triggered a debate about police brutality that still rages.

Then, the beating death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, fueled the discussion. Five officers charged in the incident were on Tuesday hit with federal charges that add to the tragedy.

Lately, there’s also the case of a Philadelphia police officer charged with murder after allegedly firing several shots into the auto of an unarmed Edward Irizarry, who was pulled over for a traffic stop.

There are - and probably have been - countless other incidents involving law enforcement, some more, and others less egregious.

None of those things bode well for the profession.

But state police leaders in Hershey are doing what they can to turn that around.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has relaxed college-degree requirements for potential troopers and later this month, state police will sponsor a career expo in Hershey encouraging women to sign on.

Local governments are digging deeper into budgets, looking for ways to recruit new officers, too.

A proposal put forth by Jim Thorpe Police Chief Joe Schatz recently might be just the ticket.

Schatz described a countywide consortium that would oversee testing for open police positions.

Under the arrangement, Carbon County Police Chiefs Association would administer written and physical agility testing, leaving participating municipalities to hold their own oral interviews.

The process has been successful in neighboring counties and could save money and time when filling vacancies in local departments.

More importantly, it creates and deepens a pool of potential hires for everyone involved.

Who knows? The idea could even be a step toward a more regional approach in coverage like the department that serves Mount Pocono as well as Coolbaugh, Tunkhannock and Barrett townships.

It’s encouraging to see fresh ideas in the fight to maintain and enhance police protection and more encouraging to see a cooperative spirit among local government leaders who are willing to try new things.

You might say that anything less would be a crime.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com