Citing soaring housing costs and a lack of interest in law enforcement as a career, Afton Police Chief [APD], Jason Romberg, addressed the town council at their most recent meeting to report how the department is handling the issue of consistent coverage in the face of growing demand.

Chief Romberg stated to the council that so far this year, the APD has received 1,156 calls for service. This is a significant increase from last year where he stated that the same period of time last year had a total of 859 calls. The APD currently has a vacancy which is being advertised but has been a challenge to fill.

Chief Romberg also addressed the difficulty in filling the vacancy with the primary obstacle being that of housing costs. “Nobody can afford to buy a house,” he said. He also stated that in the past that open positions might draw up to 30 applicants but now the numbers are few. “Nobody is interested in law enforcement” he added. He also went on to say that the APD’s struggles are the same as other departments and that the “issue of finding police is a nationwide trend.”

He did acknowledge the good pay the Town of Afton is providing and thanked the council for their support. He also noted that there have been talks with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to aid the situation.

“There have been conversations with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in regards to sharing coverage,” Romberg said. “The department is dedicated to always having an officer available but are striving for two during busier times. We have one officer in the academy so [the Sheriff’s Office]  is going to help us out through the summer. Once that is complete, we are in the process of trying to fill the vacancy now.”