Despite ongoing recruiting efforts, the Norman Police Department is finding it difficult to attract qualified new officers.

Norman officers say the lack of recruits can be attributed to Norman’s high hiring standards and relatively low pay.

Capt. Leonard Judy said the Norman Police Department is not the only one struggling to recruit.

“It isn’t just Norman that’s having problems recruiting new officers,” Judy said. “It’s nationwide.”

The department, which employs about 100 patrol officers, has been authorized to hire more officers. A sales tax that was recently approved by Norman citizens could fund 41 new officers.

However, “that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going to find that many,” Judy said.

Judy said Norman has a hard time competing for recruits with cities like Moore and Oklahoma City, because Norman pays its starting officers less than its neighbors to the north do.

The starting salary for Norman officers after they have completed field training is $38,825, according to the Norman Police Department’s Web site.

Starting pay for Oklahoma City Police Department officers who have graduated from the police academy and completed a one-year probation period is $46,478.88, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Web site.

The starting salary of a Norman police officer is on par with the median income in Oklahoma, which is the seventh-lowest in the nation at $38,770. However, that same salary is well below Norman’s median income of $65,802.

Although it struggles with its incentives for new officers, Judy said he thinks the Norman Police Department’s benefits for experienced officers are competitive.

He said the department’s tough hiring standards contribute to the officer shortage as much as salary gaps.

“The fact that we have high expectations, very high standards, what we ask of our applicants ... many apply and few are accepted,” he said.

The Norman Police Academy’s current class, which will graduate in October, is smaller than the department hoped it would be, Judy said. The department plans to hire more recruits in January.

Norman Police Officer Jason Simpson said the shortage of incoming officers has the force stretched thin.

Simpson, who has worked for the department since 1999, said officers are busier and have a harder time getting time off than they used to.

“When you’re short handed, it makes a nonbusy day become a busy day,” he said.