March 16, 2023 - Scranton, PA
Governor Josh Shapiro met with cadets at the Lackawanna College Police Academy in Scranton, where he heard from them about the challenges they face and discussed his commonsense budget proposal which invests in public safety and takes steps to recruit more police officers, teachers, and nurses to fill these critical jobs. "Keeping Pennsylvanians safe is a top priority for my administration, and making our communities safer starts with ensuring police departments are well-staffed, well-funded, well-trained, and well-equipped," said Governor Josh Shapiro. "When we don't have enough local law enforcement to cover our communities, that puts an even greater burden on the men and women on the ground keeping us safe. Policing is a noble profession and good people want to do it, so my budget is going to make it a little easier to become a police officer and address critical shortages." "I am very passionate about public service, and more importantly, about public safety," said Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll. "The difficulty of maintaining public safety increases when staffing shortfalls exist. Our dedicated officers will always face the challenges and cover those shortfalls, but it's not sustainable. I, like my fellow public safety counterparts, am concerned about the impact of the shortfalls to our operations over time. For the first time in our history, we have developed a comprehensive recruiting initiative to motivate good people to accept the challenges of policing and join our forces. Governor, we appreciate you understanding the seriousness of our staffing needs, promoting law enforcement's legitimacy, and proposing recruitment incentives for public safety positions."List of Speakers:Dr. Jill Murray, President Lackawanna CollegeChief Thomas Carroll, Scranton PoliceCommissioner Jerry Notarianni, Lackawanna CountyState Senator Marty FlynnU.S. Representative Matt CartwrightCadet Lindsay DippreGovernor Josh Shapiro
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