Denver’s budget hearings continued Thursday with Police Chief Ron Thomas responding to council members about Mayor Mike Johnston’s $8.2 million proposal — which he hopes will be enough to hire 167 officers in 2024.

“I believe that we can achieve that by the end of the year (2024),” Thomas said. “I believe that there is tremendous reason for optimism.”

Thomas expressed confidence in reaching “authorized strength” in 2024. The authorized strength number of officers currently sits at 1,596, but will increase to 1,639 starting next year, according to a Denver Police Department spokesman.

As of Sept. 1, there are 1,498 sworn police officers in Denver, the spokesman said.

Councilwoman Sarah Parady said she was confused about the number of proposed hires seemingly going above authorized strength.

“We’re considering 167 new recruits in 2024, which would be about two thirds above the level of authorized strength,” she said. “And yet I’m seeing staffing levels remaining flat.”

The attrition rate at which officers are leaving, attributed to many reasons, is currently at 5%, according to DPD.

The rate shows approximately 90 officers will leave the department next year, Thomas said Thursday.

“When we consider our attrition rate with the hiring of 167 officers, that gets us very close to that authorized strength number,” he said.

“Authorized strength is based upon the number that we believe that we can do all the things that the community expects of us to do,” Thomas said. “From both crime prevention and communication and perspective.”

The police department in recent years has struggled to recruit officers, a challenge shared by other cities’ law enforcement agencies. The difficulty in recruiting officers is occurring at a time when mass shootings so far this year have surpassed the number in 2019 and 2018, although it is so far lower compared to the last three years.

“The department has been playing catch up trying to get back to authorized strength since pandemic-related budget cuts in 2020, and higher-than-average attrition during that same timeframe,” the department spokesman said.

Some Denverites believe more police presence would make residents feel less safe, some residents told Councilman Chris Hinds via social media in response to a mass shooting in LoDo Saturday night, wounding five.

“We understand that over policing communities does not improve crime, nor does it help with our relationship with communities,” Thomas said.

“I think (additional) staffing allows us the opportunity to respond to 911 calls much faster, because we have greater officers to spread that workload around,” he said. “It gives us greater opportunity to have touch points with community members so that we can earn that public trust.”

While there are 50 officers training in the academy — and getting paid under the city budget — they still can’t go out and respond to calls, Thomas added.

The academy training phase at DPD is 28 weeks, followed by at least 12 weeks of active training.

“Due to training academy classes running consecutively for 28 weeks each, rather than concurrently due to capacity, that will result in those new officers hitting the streets in 2024 and into 2025,” the spokesman said.

District 2 Councilman Kevin Flynn brought up new concerns in reaching authorized strength.

“I think your view and our budget office … are being wildly optimistic now reaching authorized strength, even at this level,” Flynn told Thomas. “We may recruit 167. But you and I have both seen academy classes where only 50% of those who entered graduated.”

“I think we have to think about what was going on with COVID, George Floyd,” Thomas responded. “I think that led to higher rates of attrition than we are seeing right now.”

In addition to hiring more recruits and their salaries, the $8.2 million is also being used for police classes and equipment, according to Denver Budget and Management Director Stephanie Adams.