Bay Area Police Departments Start Hiring Again

Police departments in the Bay Area have begun taking on new officers.

When it comes to the economy, it's not just a tech boom that is making waves, there is a cop boom, too.

Bay Area police departments have begun hiring officers again, after years of layoffs and cutbacks, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

There are 981 fewer officers patrolling Bay Area streets than there were five years ago, according to the newspaper. But now 480 new police officers will join the forces of 13 Bay Area police agencies.

Oakland had a 19 percent spike in homicides while its force was down, and San Jose, which had its first police cutback in city history, saw a two-decade high in its homicide count.

Most police agencies will use the new officers to "stabilize" their forces, the newspaper reported, and replace more officers lost to retirements.

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