Warren police prepare to hire
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Help wanted.
Must enjoy public service, be between 18 and 34 years of age, have a high school education and possess a valid driver’s license, must eventually obtain a police-officer certification.
Preferred qualifications: previous law-enforcement experience, military experience, college education.
Yes, the Warren Police Department is hiring, and those are the basics needed to apply.
Despite having laid off 20 police officers three years ago, the department no longer has a current hiring list, having rehired or offered to rehire most of the 20 in the past couple of years.
The department will lose two of its 66 officers to retirement in 2012, a third retirement is likely, and several others are eligible, said police Chief Tim Bowers.
The department has funding for 66 officers, including the chief, in 2012.
As a result, the city will accept applications from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 7 and Jan. 14 at the main entrance to the Warren Police Department, 141 South St. SE.
Application blanks are available at the police department and city hall, 391 Mahoning Ave. NW.
The civil-service exam will be given at 10 a.m. Jan. 21 in the Warren G. Harding High School Cafetorium, 860 Elm Road NE.
Bowers notes he is not involved in the civil-service process, which receives the applications and gives the tests, but he does have an opinion on what makes a good police officer.
An applicant receives 20 percent added to his score for having military experience, and that’s a good thing because the police department is a “quasi-military organization,” Bowers said.
The 20-percent credit for having previous police experience allows a person to step into the job more quickly than someone without experience, Bowers said.
And the 10-percent credit for an associate degree and 20-percent credit for a bachelor’s degree also makes sense, Bowers said.
“I think because of the downturn in the economic situation and the lack of jobs, we’re going to get a pretty well-educated group of candidates,” Bowers said.
“It’s an opportunity for a lot of people out there who want a steady, rewarding, interesting line of work, and I hope as many people as possible will throw their hat into the ring. It’s service to your fellow man,” the chief said.
The department has no formal minority- recruitment plan, only word of mouth.
But Bowers said he’s hopeful the next hiring list will help the department improve its racial and gender diversity.
The department has three women officers.
Bowers said he doesn’t know how many minorities the department has, but it’s not nearly as high as the city’s 38 percent minority population.
Police officers “can serve people better when you know them better,” Bowers said, and it’s easier for officers to know the community when he or she goes to school, church and other activities with people in the community.