Police across the nation are on a manhunt for veterans – to join the department.
Book Excerpt:
The Thin Blue Line
Police across the nation are on a manhunt for veterans – to join the department.
by Joshua Hudson
The thin blue line between law and order is getting thinner as increasing numbers of baby boomers complete their careers, and a new generation is failing to step up to “protect and serve.” ?The pool of qualified candidates is getting smaller and the demand is getting bigger. That is why many police departments are expanding their recruiting efforts to military bases nationwide.
“Military people have a significant advantage in making it through the hiring process compared to other candidates,” said Officer Allen Stanek, a Las Vegas police officer assigned to the recruiting division. More than 80 percent of America’s 17,000 police departments are looking to fill vacancies. Nationwide projections estimate that nearly 37,000 new positions will need to be filled and an additional 30,000 positions will need to be filled to replace retiring officers over the next five years.
“We are trying to hire 80 officers here,” said Oakland P.D. (California) recruiter Sgt. Dom Arotzarena. “We have a huge attrition rate because baby boomer officers are starting to retire. Our officers are eligible for retirement when they have 30 years of service or reach 50 years of age. This is a nationwide problem.”
Sgt. Arotzarena expects that many of his fellow officers will take advantage of generous retirement plans, and leave a serious shortage. This problem is not localized to California. Many metropolitan police departments have expanded their recruiting campaigns nationally to attract a shrinking population of qualified applicants.
“We live in a Nintendo age,” said Cadet Geoffery Stone, who is completing his coursework at the Albuquerque Police Academy. Stone left an eight-year career as an Army staff sergeant to join his hometown police department. “I have family that doesn’t like being told what to do and just wants to ‘tune in and tune out’ with TV and computer games. They don’t want to get involved.”
Police departments are discovering increasing numbers of candidates failing to make it through the hiring process and attribute many causes: increased eligible candidates opting to join the military first; a generational shift in work ethic and community service; and false perceptions of law enforcement as a career.
“People realize quickly in the hiring process if law enforcement is for them. Many who apply are not mentally or physically prepared to join this profession. I don’t think the problem is finding people who want to be cops. I think the problem is finding people who ?can be cops,” said Sgt. Arotzarena. “The new generation wants to live life on their ?time. Military candidates know what it means to be on time and not grumble about it.”
The culture of law enforcement is very similar to that of the military. This is why a significant percentage of police officers have a military background.
“The biggest challenge for someone wanting to be a cop is the ability to take orders and follow the plan. Military people already know how to do that,” said Officer Panya Sawan, an Oakland police officer and a command sergeant major in the Army Reserves. “That is why it was a smooth transition for me. I learned how to be successful within a chain of command.”
Officer Peter Kruse, Las Vegas P.D., finished his enlistment as a Marine sniper and immediately looked for a job in law enforcement. He always knew he wanted to be a cop. His mother is a Chicago police officer and he grew up respecting the sacrifices law enforcement officers make.
“I worked for a paving company while I was waiting for my application to process,” said Kruse, “and most of the people I worked with lacked discipline and work ethic. I missed that discipline structure and brotherhood in the Marines. Also, the police and military have an emphasis on staying in shape, and that is important to me. When I finally joined the force, I found a job that shares my values.”
Help Wanted
“Unfortunately, we lose a lot of civilian candidates in the hiring process before they ever get to the academy,” said Officer Stanek. In contrast, military applicants have a relatively easy time passing each portion of the reviewing process. Some police departments can even expedite military applications.
“That DD-214 tells us a lot of what we need to know,” said Sgt. Arotzarena.
Officer Stanek expends a lot of effort recruiting the few new officers that graduate each year. “With 600 applicants we can expect that 20 will make it through the hiring process,” Stanek said. “We need officers, but the right officers. In many cases those officers end up having a military background.”
“Out of the 19 Albuquerque cadets that made it through my program,” said Stone, “only nine of us graduated. All four military veterans made it through the program. That says a lot about our military training.”
Although some departments require some college, most state and local agencies only require a high school diploma, pass a written and oral interview; submit to a psychological evaluation and background investigation; and pass a physical exam. There is also a minimum physical fitness test that is similar to the military. Once your application passes review, each candidate must pass their training at the police academy.
“It is a lot less physical than the Army,” said Cadet Stone. “We still have to P.T., but there is a lot more coursework and homework. My military training taught me to think on my feet, and that is a plus, but the academy teaches you much more.”
“You also need to know how to deal with lots of different types of people,” said Officer Sawan. Sawan was born in Thailand and decided to join the Army after immigrating to America. He spent two years serving in Germany before returning to the States and joining the Army Reserves. “In the military, we travel the world and learn about different cultures. Very few applicants have the background necessary to deal with diversity. Understanding a wide-range of cultures is another reason why military candidates make great officers.”
Life by Cop
“Once you graduate from the academy, you know you made the right choice,” said Sgt. Arotzarena. “More importantly, we know if we made the right choice.”
The starting salary for most police departments is competitive. Oakland’s starting salary is $69,000 per year not including benefits.
“There are a lot of lateral opportunities in every police department,” said Penny Ha, senior HR analyst for the Oakland P.D. “Every officer can move within the department to various careers such as K-9, narcotics, SWAT, etc.”
Promotion opportunities are also available. Every police chief starts out as an officer.
“Military people advance quickly,” said Officer Kruse. “The police departments love the fact that military are highly motivated, easy to train, know how to follow orders and have discipline. We are go getters and want to make a difference when we walk through the door.”
“Many of the police chiefs in our surrounding cities,” said Penny Ha, “started off as Oakland police officers. Many of them, including our police chief, have a military background.”
“The job is not for everyone,” said Officer Stanek, “but the biggest draw for me was a job that changes day to day and you aren’t tied to a desk. You have a real variety of career choices, and it gives me a chance to serve my community like I did in the ?military and still come home to my family every night.”
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Original Published Source:
G.I. Jobs Magazine
Original Publish Date:
2007-12-01
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