BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Bethlehem Police Department, the eighth largest statewide, currently operates with 16 vacancies and 11 personnel unavailable for work among the ranks, according to Chief Michelle Kott.
Authorized to employ 154 officers, the city department has 138 on the roster, but only 127 can report for work, Kott told City Council during a budget hearing on Nov. 20.
The 11 who are unavailable include four on long-term sick leave, three serving in the military, two on “light duty” and two now attending the Allentown Police Academy.
“These vacancies put a strain on current officers, driving up overtime costs and limit our ability to expand proactive community policing initiatives."Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott
“These vacancies put a strain on current officers, driving up overtime costs and limit our ability to expand proactive community policing initiatives,” Kott said.
“While we continue to prioritize recruitment, the gap between applications and actual hires shows us that this is not a short-term challenge.”
And this year, the department has averaged more than 4,800 calls for service monthly.
The chief said, “In short, our officers are doing more with less.”
'Retention is an issue'
To date in 2025, BPD has hired four new police officers — two with previous police academy certifications and two in need of training. The recruits currently attending the academy will graduate next month, Kott said.
The department is set to soon hire another two, who will go for training in early 2026 and ideally start work in the summer, she said.
Officials have previously said at least 19 officers will be eligible to retire at the end of next year.
“Retention is an issue,” Kott said.
“ … Gone are the days of the 200-person civil service list.”
BPD hiring
BPD is accepting applications for its next hiring cycle, and Kott is asking for “anybody who is interested in serving their community with a progressive department” to apply by Jan. 2.
The previous hiring cycle took in 116 applications, with 63 of those approved to move forward in the process. But the number of eligible applicants only decreased as the process went on, Kott said.
Twenty-four candidates passed the physical fitness exam and 14 passed the written exam — but only 10 candidates progressed to the polygraph and background investigation phase, which Kott said “remains one of the most difficult hurdles” for recruits to clear.
During the first cycle of 2025, 135 applied but only four were hired by the end of the process.
Even in early 2024, the department received 192 applications, with only three being hired.
BPD is a top department in the state and country because of its “rigorous” standards in the hiring process, Kott said.
“I believe that one of the worst things we can possibly do is lower our standards. I would not feel comfortable changing that."Bethlehem Police Chief Michelle Kott
Councilwoman Colleen Laird praised the department and its protocols.
“Do you believe it’s appropriately stringent despite the recruitment challenges?” Laird asked Kott.
“I believe that one of the worst things we can possibly do is lower our standards. I would not feel comfortable changing that,” Kott responded.
And $5,000 hiring bonuses from the state for each new officer, an initiative first announced around this time in 2023 to boost recruitment, have now expired.
“Honestly, I don’t think it helped,” Kott said.
She said the department also pushes for professional development for its officers, offering training opportunities throughout the year on topics like crisis intervention, investigative report writing, trauma management and more.
'Definitely not enough'
Council Vice President Rachel Leon said it was “very frustrating” that even if officials happened to make accommodations for the needed positions, the city presently would have a hard time filling them.
“My gut tells me that 154 people is not enough; maybe it is, maybe it isn’t,” Leon said.
“I think we can agree 127 is definitely not enough.”
Councilman Bryan Callahan floated charging students of Lehigh and Moravian universities a $50 fee to cover instances of the city providing emergency services on campus to make the hires needed.
He said maybe one of the local hospital networks that receives BPD services could contribute financially to the hiring process.
“FOP is more than willing to keep working forward for this and for other improvement and retention issues in the future."Bethlehem Fraternal Order of Police Star Lodge No. 20 President and BPD officer Robert Nichelson
For now, administration from the city and BPD along with Bethlehem Fraternal Order of Police Star Lodge No. 20, the city police’s collective bargaining unit, have agreed to create two non-sworn positions out of two currently vacant sworn positions.
One would be a dedicated IT professional to provide “24/7 technical readiness” for the department and take some of the current workload off one soon-to-retire lieutenant, Kott said.
The other would be an intelligence analyst “to closely monitor crime trends and support investigations with timely, actionable insights," she said.
“I will join the chorus of people who are thrilled that you’re going to have a dedicated IT person,” Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek said.
BPD officer Robert Nichelson, also the FOP president, said he was “happy” with how the budget came out and for the addition of two new incoming positions.
He said it was an investment in the department, its officers and the community as a whole, “so we can continue that high level of service that the people of Bethlehem expect.”
“FOP is more than willing to keep working forward for this and for other improvement and retention issues in the future,” Nichelson said.
New union agreement to come
The city and FOP will move to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement next year.
The current three-year arrangement is set to expire at the end of 2026.
Bethlehem's proposed 2026 budget has city police, fire and other collective bargaining members getting salary increases of 3%, totaling $1.52 million.
A final vote on the spending plan is scheduled for Tuesday evening.
Bethlehem Fire Department also is having staffing issues of its own.
