Both Cincinnati police and fire departments are short on staff, as they try to find new ways to recruit and get people interested in public service.The departments said fewer people are applying as the retirement rate stays steady, and they also said going from hired to on the streets takes time. Cincinnati police officers investigate everything from murders to thefts and car crashes, but the department could use more people on patrol."We're probably down about 150 officers right now and the attrition rate doesn't seem to be slowing. So, we have officers that are retiring every day," Sgt. Dwayne Wilson said.Cincinnati firefighters and paramedics are also always on the move battling fires, helping people with medical emergencies and working in the community."We have 193 firefighters that have to be in each seat every day and we're able to maintain that with firefighters on overtime," Fire Chief Michael Washington said.CFD is short 73 firefighters right now and fewer people are applying, according to Washington."Our last fire recruit drive, we had roughly about 3,300 people sign up and we actually had about 1,200 show up for the actual written test," he said.Wilson, who leads recruiting for CPD, agrees."Twenty-five and a half years ago, there was probably about 7,000 people that signed up for 100 spots and you know, this last test we had 2,200 that signed up for 55 spots but only 572 showed up to take the test," he said.It's a sharp change.Wilson said the policing profession has been tarnished, tapering off some interest. But he also said it's an opportunity to show police can do better."This isn't an 'a-ha' moment for anybody, you know, across the country police departments are having the same issues. Officers are retiring, you know, COVID, for a multitude of other reasons just come toward the end of their careers," Wilson said.He also said Cincinnati police are working to speed up the process to get recruits into the police academy in six to eight months, rather than nine to 12.Washington believes the pandemic is a factor but also said the younger generations are drawn elsewhere for work."They're interested in other things. YouTubing and influencers or things like that. So, I don't think we're any different than any other industry, but it is something that's alarming to us right now," he said.To fill the gap, he said CFD has already reached 46 percent of its fiscal year overtime budget.That budget only started in July. Both said there is promise in those who want to serve."Because of the last summer or last two summers, with the civil unrest that they've seen around the country and they want to be a part of making a difference," Wilson said.They said for now, operations are not affected.Washington said the sign-ups for CFD have already begun and won't be offered again for a few years. He said the testing process leads to an eligibility list and officials choose people off that list to fill a fire recruit class for about two years.He also said it takes a couple of years to progress from testing to hired to on the street working.Washington said at the same time, the department loses anywhere from 40 to 55 firefighters a year through retirement and other means.He told WLWT that 31 firefighters have exited the department so far this year.Meanwhile, CFD has a recruit class of 35 graduating in November, according to Washington."That will provide some relief, but we will still be about 20 firefighters short daily and there's another fire recruit class that will be started in February of 2022, of 40 additional fire recruits," he said.Cincinnati police said a recruit class is happening now and a lateral class is next.They hope to have nearly 60 new officers at the start of 2022."We're up against some stiff competition with other businesses that are able to take people out of college, give them a signing bonus and give them a job. We really can't do that because of the process that we have to go through," Wilson said.CPD also has sign-ups happening through Oct. 31 and tests starting in November.The department hopes to seat a class of 55 between June and July 2022, according to Wilson.Cincinnati police will host a community forum at District Three on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. for anyone interested in becoming a police officer.There, people can find out about the process, the timeline, and ask any questions they may have.

Ohio's vaccine supply is going up thanks to the approval of the Johnson & Johnson shot.That means more people can get their dose in Ohio in just days.Gov. Mike DeWine said starting Thursday, people in Phase 1C are eligible, which includes people working in childcare, funeral services, and law enforcement and corrections officers, as well as people with Type 1 Diabetes and women who are pregnant.People in Phase 2 are also eligible as of Thursday and that includes those 60 or older.However, essential workers outside of health care are not on Ohio's list like in states such as Kentucky.But even before Thursday, the vaccine has already made a difference in some area police departments as some have been lucky enough to get one of the extra doses.Officers said there's a lot of hope in every shot."I'm hoping that by doing this, it helps us get back to regular life again, maybe a little bit quicker and I feel like you do have some sort of protection," Newtown police Chief Tom Synan said.Ahead of Phase 1C, Synan said eight of 11 officers are already vaccinated at the department."We got very lucky that some providers called up and said, 'Hey, we're going to have extra doses,'" Synan said.He said the extra doses came quickly at the Anderson Fire Department and nearby Angels Care Family Home."We were able to get everyone vaccinated, which, you know, I called and asked the health department, should we be doing this? And he said, well, you guys aren't in line, but we'd rather the doses not get wasted," Synan said.Many officers are ready for their turn starting Thursday.FOP President Dan Hils said officers within the Cincinnati Police Department could get vaccinated as early as Thursday.He thinks more than half of nearly 1,000 officers want a shot.Hils estimates 50 to 100 officers have been vaccinated with extra doses.In Springdale, Chief Tom Wells said some of his officers have gotten a spare shot."It feels like a little extra insurance. A little bit more of a peace of mind," Wells said.He said about 26 of 38 officers still want one."We certainly come up on a lot of situations where we want to make sure our police personnel are protected," Wells said.With Phase 1C starting Thursday, their turns are quickly approaching."The sooner that we can get that herd immunity going and get everybody vaccinated, I think we certainly would feel a lot more confident with that as well," Wells said.DeWine was asked Monday about why essential workers aren't included in Phase 1C.He said they have had to prioritize while looking at the best way to save lives."We came up with what we think the data clearly shows and that is that age is by far the best predictor. We have made some exceptions as we have moved forward, but we remain focused primarily on age," DeWine said.Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine will join Pfizer and Moderna's two-dose shots this week.The company plans to deliver 20 million doses nationwide by the end of March and 100 million doses by July.

A new cutting edge tool could help police officers navigate tense encounters without using deadly force. The question is why more departments aren't taking advantage of it. WLWT talked with local police departments considering the BolaWrap.Wrap Technologies, which sells the device, advertises it as a tool that "safely & humanely restrains resisting subjects from a distance without relying on pain compliance tools."A BolaWrap is similar in size to a Taser. With one click, the device, which uses a laser to help an officer aim, shoots out an 8-foot kevlar rope. The rope wraps around a subject and hooks on each end are intended to latch onto the person's clothing. The device is considered nonlethal and is designed to be shot at a person's torso or legs. Although we found no successful deployments in our region, videos from police departments around the country show the BolaWrap's potential. Police in Minnesota used the device to safely restrain a man who had escaped a hospital while on a mental health hold. Police in Beaufort, South Carolina, brought a man, who was armed with knives, safely into custody. Police in St. Cloud, Florida, successfully detained a man who may have been suicidal. His mother warned officers that he wanted to commit suicide by cop. "Policing has evolved. Society has evolved. We train in de-escalation every single year, and our deputies utilize it every single day," Lt. Philip Ridgell, spokesman for the Boone County Sheriff's Office. "We're considering the BolaWrap because it will give our deputies a tool that they can use in the field in lieu of going hands on with a passive resistant subject."Calls related to mental health and the drug crisis are increasing for departments around the country."Right now we're averaging one emotional crisis about every 12 hours," Ridgell said. He said his department is looking for innovative ways to keep passive resistant subjects safe and resolve situations using less force. Cincinnati police recently tested the devices. A spokesman told WLWT approximately 100 officers were given BolaWraps to test in the field for about six months. There were no deployments.Chief Eliot Isaac was excited about the non-lethal tool when it was used on him in a demo last summer. The demo was prompted by a near-tragedy in the West End when a Cincinnati police officer unintentionally fired a slug from his shotgun, instead of a beanbag round. The officer missed a man suffering from a mental health crisis. Just recently, CPD told WLWT it decided to purchase a handful of BolaWraps, which cost $1,000 apiece, for the SWAT team to carry.The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is also preparing to test the device.Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey has a few questions the department needs to answer. "Is it going to be effective enough for us to spend that kind of money because it will be quite pricey to outfit a 900 strong department," she said. Approximately 500 within the sheriff's office are deputies assigned to jail services or patrol. To outfit every deputy with a BolaWrap would cost a half-million dollars. In comparison, the average body camera costs between $400 and $700. "We're evaluating it to see will it work in the incarcerated environment, which is very unlikely because everything is so closed in there," McGuffey said. "We never know what situation we'll encounter, and people are experiencing a crisis. People do all the time."Former Cincinnati police Chief Tom Streicher thinks BolaWrap is a no-brainer. He is a consultant for a company that is working with Wrap Technologies."Why do we want to use force if we don't have to use force? That's the simple question that needs to be asked," Streicher said. "As soon as they demonstrated the device, the light bulb went on in my head and I thought, 'Here it is. My God. This is the future of policing.'"Streicher believes the device, in wide use, could prevent tragedies and that makes it worth any financial investment. "If I'm the police chief, I'm calling for us to advance the use of this new technology (17) and minimize the risk to everyone involved," he said. "If you want to ensure that technology is being used by the agency and it's being used properly, then you give that technology to every single officer who's out in the field."