Abstract News media in the united States has been reporting on a crisis in law enforcement hiring for the past two years. Despite this reporting, law enforcement agencies have been increasing the number of sworn law enforcement officers they employ steadily over the past decade (2011 to 2021), not decreasing. Using data collated from United States Government sources, this article will show that the number of sworn law enforcement officers has increased. This article will address however that there are concerns with the future of law enforcement hiring brought by a shrinking pool of applicants that may be attributed to a steadily declining labor force participation rate and a steadily increasing number of jobs in other fields that may attract applicants away from the law enforcement profession.   Introduction Law enforcement officers are considered “first responders.” This designation, in general, means that law enforcement officers are expected to be on call 24 hours ...