Survey of nearly 2,000 public safety professionals reveals agencies understand challenges, but lack staffing, protocols and infrastructure to execute effectively

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 15, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Public safety agencies are facing persistent staffing shortages and growing operational strain at the same time that they are beginning to adopt AI tools without consistent policies or training, according to a new report from PowerDMS by NEOGOV.

The Top 5 Public Safety Workforce Trends of 2026 report, based on a survey of 1,975 public safety professionals across law enforcement, corrections, emergency communications, fire and EMS, finds that nearly 60% of respondents report staffing shortages, while more than 80% report at least one major workforce strain indicator, including elevated vacancy rates, overtime or workforce attrition. One of the report's central findings is that workforce strain is no longer temporary, which means that longer-term strategies and solutions are needed.

The report also finds that AI is already entering daily public safety workflows, even as many agencies remain in the early stages of developing the policies, training and guardrails needed to manage adoption. According to the survey, 23% of public safety professionals already use AI in daily work, while half of agencies do not have an AI policy in place and 66% have not provided formal AI training to employees.

Together, the findings point to a widening readiness gap across public safety. Agencies understand the need to improve recruiting, retention, operational efficiency and technology governance, but often lack the staffing, processes and infrastructure needed to execute these improvements consistently.

"Public safety agencies are being asked to do more with fewer resources while navigating persistent staffing shortages, burnout and administrative strain," said Retired Chief JT Manoushagian, public safety executive advisor at PowerDMS by NEOGOV. "AI can be a meaningful part of the solution, but adoption is moving faster than many agencies can implement policies, training and guardrails. This report highlights where the biggest gaps exist and where agencies have the greatest opportunity to strengthen readiness, modernize operations and maintain public trust."

Key findings from the report include:

Hiring friction is slowing recruiting success

While agencies continue investing heavily in recruiting, the report found that many lose qualified candidates because of slow timelines, manual workflows and administrative bottlenecks.

• 67% cite finding qualified candidates as their top recruiting challenge
• 45% say offering competitive salaries remains difficult
• 37% identify slow hiring processes and time-to-hire as a major challenge
• Nearly half of agencies report background investigations take between 30 and 90 days to complete

The findings suggest that recruiting challenges are not only a candidate supply issue, but also a conversion issue. Even when agencies attract applicants, delays in hiring and background investigations can make it hard to efficiently move qualified candidates through the process.

Agencies are prioritizing operational visibility

As staffing pressures continue, agencies are looking for better ways to manage workforce demands, track training needs and make data-informed decisions.

• Communication, training and recruiting ranked as the top operational areas needing improvement
• Only 17% of respondents report always using data and analytics to guide decisions
• 35% still rely on paper processes for key areas such as training and compliance
• 46% say they need better visibility into training needs and skills gaps

The findings indicate that many agencies are trying to modernize operations without the systems and real-time insight needed to support consistent decision-making.

Change management remains a major operational challenge

Agencies often know what needs to improve, but struggle to implement changes consistently across the organization.

• Only 23% of agencies say they are very prepared to manage organizational change
• Top barriers to change include communication gaps, burnout, lack of employee buy-in and limited resources
• Many respondents identified communication and leadership alignment as critical areas needing improvement

These challenges can intensify existing workforce and operational pressures, making change management a central factor in agency readiness and adaptability.

A framework for closing the readiness gap

PowerDMS by NEOGOV recommends practical steps agencies can take to strengthen long-term readiness, including:

• Conducting workload and time-drain audits
• Streamlining hiring and background investigation processes
• Improving visibility into training, certifications and workforce data
• Establishing clear AI governance policies and training programs
• Standardizing communication and change management practices

The full report can be viewed here.

About NEOGOV

NEOGOV, an EQT portfolio company and part of the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), serves more than 13,000 organizations as the leading provider of an AI-enabled integrated HR, payroll, talent management and policy and compliance management solution for public sector HR, public safety and education. With NEOGOV, organizations are able to eliminate and automate systems and processes, so they can focus on what matters most - serving their core customers in a meaningful way. This results in improved productivity and engagement, time and cost savings, improved regulatory compliance, and reduced paper processes.

NEOGOV's platform includes PowerDMS, a public safety management platform which serves police, fire and 911 customers. NEOGOV also offers NEOED, a one-stop shop HR suite for education.

More information at www.neogov.com and www.powerdms.com.

Media Contact

Brianna Swales, NEOGOV, 1 4079244497, brianna@swalesandcopr.com, https://www.neogov.com/

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SOURCE NEOGOV