Baltimore Police Department losing officers over pay, 'anti-policing climate'

close

Video

'The Five' discuss Dems politicizing deadly Ohio police shooting

Democrats and the media 'rush to judgement' on fatal police shooting; reaction from 'The Five'

The Baltimore Police Department is losing officers at a faster rate than last year due to "pay, working conditions, and the anti-policing climate," according to the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police.

In a Twitter post, the group said the city’s force has lost 81 officers this year while suggesting patrol has fallen below 700 sworn-in officers and is 500 cops short.

A spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department did not return Fox News’ request for comment.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s office was also contacted for comment.

BERKELEY MAYOR: DEFUNDING THE POLICE IS 'REIMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY' 

Police forces throughout the U.S. have come under intense scrutiny over the past year as a number of Black men and women have died during encounters with law enforcement.

This week, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges brought against him in the death of George Floyd.

Duante Wright was killed earlier this month in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota after an officer fired her gun instead of her Taser.

Ma'Khia Bryant was fatally shot Tuesday by a young Columbus, Ohio Police Department Officer while apparently attempting to stab another person.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

These tragedies, and others like them, have sparked pervasive public calls for police reform – which have been proposed via various methods ranging from improved training and transparency measures to adjusting protocols and changing the disciplinary process.

There have been calls to defund the police and reallocate those funds to other priorities.

There have also been calls by some to abolish police forces in their entirety because they are allegedly inherently racist, as Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., has suggested.