SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Following years of layoffs, budget cuts and surge in violent crime, several police departments across the San Francisco Bay area are hiring again.
According to the Bay Area News Group (http://bit.ly/XlVc7u ), the addition of about 480 police officers to stabilize the ranks of 13 law enforcement agencies will help beef up street patrols and investigative units.
The hiring of the additional officers comes after many area police departments, including Oakland and San Jose, lost nearly 1,000 officers when the economy began to decline about five years ago.
Both cities have seen crime, especially homicides, spike since the cuts.
San Jose police Sgt. Jason Dwyer says the incoming officers to his department could provide sorely needed manpower that could bring faster response times to calls for help.
None of the agencies, however, said it planned to offer new services.
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