Two police officers in El Campo were reassigned as school resource officers six months ago, and since then, the police department has been struggling to keep up with staff shortages. The patrol shortage has doubled, leaving the department with four officers and one telecommunications operator short. It takes up to a year to train new police officers and even longer for dispatchers and cadets. To help with recruitment, the department brought back a $7,500 sign-on bonus, but it causes morale issues for current employees who didn’t receive the benefit.