New Jersey police, hit by state and local budget cuts, are dispersing to far-flung areas

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department is looking for recruits 800 miles away in New Jersey, Darran Simon of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. A department spokesman told Simon when it heard about "sweeping police layoffs" in New Jersey, department recruiters saw an opportunity to hire trained personnel. They aren't the only department, either: Fort Worth, Tex., also recruited from the state this week. (Inquirer photo by Christopher Berkey: recruits from New Jersey before their graduation in Nashville)

New Jersey recruits told Simon they saw potential for professional growth in Nashville, and said they're grateful to "still be cops, which seemed unlikely in New Jersey, where layoffs have hit hard in the major cities," Simon reports. The state has 705 laid-off officers (since January) who haven't been able to find work in law enforcement, according to a State Policeman's Benevolent Association survey. Mitchell Sklar, executive director of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, told Simon the state's officers are attractive recruits for out-of-state departments because they are well trained. (Read more)