The Southborough Police Department is looking to recruit a new officer. (Scroll down for details on applying.) It’s one of the recent actions taken to address manpower issues in the SPD.
Chief Kenneth Paulhus told selectmen last week that sufficient manpower was an issue he’d been working on over the past year with help from the Town Administrator, Finance Director and the Advisory Committee. He updated that they came up with a plan to increase staffing on the 2nd and 3rd shift. Part of that appeared to be plans for this new hire.
Paulhus was also looking to create a position for a 5th sergeant. The purpose was to increase supervisory coverage of shifts.
The Chief explained that about a 3rd of the time, there isn’t a supervisor of rank on a shift. (When that happens, another officer is designated “the officer in charge” for $1 more per hour.) He listed vacation/sick/personal leave, training, and scheduling issues as the cause. The promotion wouldn’t eliminate the gap, but significantly reduce it.
Between reducing the fill-in payments and other staffing buckets, Paulhus said he could fund the position within his budget. He pitched that the promotion helps morale by allowing advancement opportunity. And he said that the change would help cover a critical “swing shift” gap from 7:00 pm – 3:00 am.
Selectmen unanimously approved adding the position.
Now, here are the details for anyone interested in applying to become an SPD Officer:
The Town of Southborough is currently accepting applications for position of full-time police officer. Applications can be picked up in person at the Southborough Police Dept., 19 Main Street, Southborough, MA. or [downloaded below].
Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 17, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.
All applications can be sent certified, registered mail or delivered in person in sealed envelopes to Chief of Police Kenneth Paulhus.
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be high school graduate (college degree preferred)
- Must be at least 21 years of age
- Have a valid driver’s license
- Be a graduate of a full-time Police Academy as prescribed by the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Council or an out of state academy equivalent, if certified by the Massachusetts Municipal Police Training Council.
For a job description, and more details on the application submission and review process, click here.
For an application, click here.
I think it would be a worthwhile investment for the town of Southborough to pay for a recruit to attend the Police Academy.
I couldn’t agree more! This way you send them to the academy and then you train them the way you want them to be. We used to do this but haven’t done it in some time. I am sure there is qualified candidates out there that would be great for us to have but need to go to the academy. It would be a very worthwhile investment.
Keith,
Is it a necessary investment, though? Can we get good candidates who have the Academy, and maybe a couple of years experience, under their belts?
Keep in mind, when you do that, the applicant has been trained in a different manner by a different department. Sometimes it is better to mold somebody rather than adapt somebody.
The best police officer for the job may indeed be a lateral transfer with experience in another town. However, the best person for the job may be new to law enforcement. If we as a town are willing to send a recruit to the Police Academy, then we can look at both types of applicants. If we limit ourselves to lateral transfers only, then we limit our options and exclude of group of people that may make excellent police officers. Either Southborough pays to send a new officer to the Academy, or we pay an officer for the experience they already have. Both approaches come with a price.
One other minimum requirement I am sure is on the list is the candidate must pass a drug test. A minimum requirement that I hope the school committees are now requiring for all new hires – union and non-union.