CLAYTON (KMOX)--The St. Louis County Police Department is creating a daycare service for officers with families. The department hopes it helps with recruitment as they are currently 135 officers down.
"There were choices that I made throughout my career that were based upon childcare with my kids," said Sgt. Tracy Panus, Media Relations Officer for St. Louis County Police. "This is going to open up more doors for those moms and dads out there who think, 'Oh, I can't do that. I can't be on call because I don't have daycare, I don't have the family support here that some of the other officers may have.'
'Patrol' is obviously the backbone of our department," Panus said. "Our first love as police officers is handling calls on the street. It's very rewarding work but we just have to be competitive with the other agencies."
St. Louis County Police Department says it plans to have daycare services up and running mid 2024. The details of the service have not outlined yet but it would be a 'first' for police departments in the region.
