NATCHEZ — Natchez’s police chief Tuesday said concerns have mounted regarding the department’s ability to recruit officers in the immediate future.

Chief Walter Armstrong spoke before the board of aldermen Tuesday at a regularly scheduled meeting to address the issue.

Armstrong said his department currently has 36 officers, 10 fewer than what the city allots NPD.

The department does have one prospect currently training at the police academy, but he is the only recruit over the course of several months to pass both the written and physical tests required to become an officer.

Armstrong said two officers, Capt. Scott Frye and Capt. Tom McGehee, are preparing to retire next year, and others will be eligible to retire not long afterward.

“I just believe in another year or so, unless we can figure out how to bring them in, we’re going to be hurting for our police officers,” Armstrong said Wednesday. “I think the board needs to take some serious looks at these things.”

Armstrong said he hopes to meet this week with the city’s police committee, chaired by Ward 2 Alderman Billie Joe Frazier.

In the less than four months since Armstrong became chief, he has pushed city officials to improve the police department. At Tuesday’s meeting, Armstrong thanked the board for approving a 7-percent pay raise for officers in September and body cameras shortly after.

But Armstrong said the department still faces the hurdle of recruiting candidates when other nearby departments still offer higher wages.

If Armstrong gets his meeting with the police committee this week, he plans to revisit the pay issue, but also discuss potential “perks” that could entice officers as well.

“(For example), letting them take cars home. That’s something that’s happening all over the country,” Armstrong said.

The chief said that method would not only benefit officers, but also the community, since having parked cars in neighborhoods can prevent crime.

“It won’t be a fix-all, but it will help boost morale, and it will also benefit the community … because it will serve as a deterrent of crime,” Armstrong said.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith and Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Irving both expressed ideas about visiting high schools more often to potentially increase the amount of homebred officers down the road. Armstrong said he currently focuses more on university’s for recruiting, though the department will attend career days at high schools when invited.

The police department’s need for officers is immediate. As Armstrong has noted, the department has lost approximately 20 officers in the past two years, many who left to seek better opportunities. Armstrong also said the recruiting issue is emblematic of the state of law enforcement across the country, not just Natchez.

The department’s next real hiring opportunity will not come until May, when the next round of prospective officers can be sent to train at the academy.