Chief (first name not stated in the transcript) told the Finance Committee on May 28 that the Woburn Police Department remains understaffed and faces persistent hiring challenges driven by a nationwide decline in applicants rather than local pay levels.

The chief said civil service and testing schedules have shifted, reducing candidate pools, and noted that candidates are failing basic physical‑ability tests. “There are some changes with civil service and how we can hire actually from a city list in addition to a civil service list that may help,” he said, but added “people are just not as interested in being police officers as they were in the past.”

He described a recent hiring cycle in which the department called a list for eight candidates, sent four to the police academy, and currently has two officers in the academy scheduled to graduate in October. The chief said the department appointed two local residents who took the exam and were available.

Council members repeatedly praised department visibility and community policing in neighborhoods including North Woburn, and several thanked the chief for his responsiveness. Multiple councilors also acknowledged the chief's impending retirement and thanked him for his service; the chief confirmed his intent to retire.

No formal votes were recorded. The chief and councilors discussed broader workforce issues — retention, academy completion rates, and the political environment affecting recruitment — but did not identify immediate policy changes to the department’s budget.