Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency due to a police officer shortage. Landry's executive order issued Thursday lifts limits on how many new employees Louisiana sheriffs can hire and on payroll increases for their departments. Landry's order removes restrictions that state law places on hiring and payroll for a period of time following a gubernatorial election. Small towns, including in Maine, Texas and Ohio, have disbanded their police departments, turning over law enforcement work to county sheriffs, a neighboring town or state police. Earlier this month, Landry presented his first proposed state budget that included tens of millions in additional dollars for public safety.

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Persons: Jeff Landry, Landry, “, Governor Landry, ” Michael Ranatza, George Floyd, ” Landry Organizations: —, — Louisiana GOP Gov, Louisiana Sheriffs ’ Association, Police, Research, Lawmakers, The Times, New, New Orleans Advocate Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, — Louisiana, Louisiana, Minneapolis . Small, Maine , Texas, Ohio, Washington, New Orleans