Dallas police and fire report stronger hiring but continued attrition

Major Pauli Ashford of the Dallas Police Department and Assistant Chief Delrish Williams of Dallas Fire Rescue briefed the Public Safety Committee on April 14 on recruiting and retention efforts, reporting increased hires in March but continuing net losses for the police force and ongoing turnover for the fire department.

Major Pauli Ashford, Dallas Police Department, told the committee that in March DPD “lost 9 officers and hired 51,” and that the fiscal‑year totals show 74 separations and 51 hires to date; the department’s sworn strength at the March count was 3,199. Ashford said 50 of March’s hires were new and one was a reinstatement, that 67 applicants were placed in background, and that the next academy class is slated to begin May 7 with a projected “50 plus.”

Ashford also described applicant sourcing: 60–62% of applicants reported hearing about DPD through social media and 95 applicants attended two on‑site hiring events in March. On the department’s employee referral program, Ashford said initial awareness efforts had been broad but that the program has not produced as many referrals as hoped; the department plans another outreach push into the summer.

Assistant Chief Delrish Williams, Dallas Fire Rescue, said DFR recorded 14 attritions and 27 hires in March and has started a new recruit class. For fiscal year 2025 DFR reported 72 total attritions and 160 hires since Oct. 1, 2024. Williams said 135 applicants were referred by civil service and that word‑of‑mouth and the department website accounted for about 85% of applicant sourcing. On motivations, Williams said roughly “93% of our applicants have a desire to serve,” followed closely by benefits and salary.

Council members questioned longer‑term trends and metrics. Council Member Willis asked whether the current hire‑to‑loss ratio (roughly two hires for each recorded separation in the fiscal year figures) should be treated as an operational planning metric; Ashford said the department hopes retention will improve but noted that retirements and an older cohort of officers will continue to affect attrition for the near term. Willis praised DPD’s broad list of university and recruiting events and urged continued outreach to high schools for fire recruitment.

Both departments outlined targeted efforts: DPD emphasized college and on‑site hiring events and social media outreach; DFR described high‑school seminars intended to recruit younger candidates with the goal of longer careers. DFR also reported several lateral hires and ongoing background processing for additional applicants.

Committee members commended the recruiting work and asked for follow‑up materials, including historical staffing trend data and continued reporting on referral program effectiveness and next academy class outcomes.