By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Police Chief Chris Connally says the department is actively recruiting, trying to fill 22 officer vacancies.
Connally says recruiting qualified applicants is always difficult and seems especially difficult now.
“Our challenge is we’re not finding as many people that are interested or committed to the work, because it’s not something you just get to start the job tomorrow,” Connally tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “You’re going to be in the academy for five months and you’re going to be in field training for two-and-a-half to three months. And so, it’s a large training process to get people to where they’re able to contribute.”
Connally says Missouri Western State University has stepped up to help. The university is using American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover the approximately $5,000 tuition to the Law Enforcement Academy for promising St. Joseph police recruits. The university is also investing more money for upgrades to the academy, including the modernization of equipment. A veteran of the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, Joseph King, is the new commander of the academy.
Recruiting qualified workers has become difficult for all positions at all levels. Recent developments have made it even more difficult for police departments. News reports and social media traffic about high-profile police misconduct cases haven’t helped efforts to recruit new police officers.
Connally says though police receive tremendous local community support, the department must overcome negative national trends.
“There’s still the challenge that in this day and age on social media anybody who’s in any kind of public service, if they’re on social media, they’re going to see some of the day-to-day criticism,” Connally says.