Elyria’s goal is to add 11 officers by end of year

ELYRIA — The city is hoping to add 11 new police officers by the end of the year.

Because of the passage of Issue 6, the city’s 0.5 percent income tax increase, on March 15, the money will be there. But the question remains if the city be able to fill the demand in time.

“I don’t know how we will get it done, but 90 officers are what we want,” Mayor Holly Brinda said. “We are working on recruitment, so we’re hoping that makes a difference.”

The department stands at 79 sworn officers.

Last year, it was a struggle to climb above 80 sworn officers due to a cycle of hiring new recruits while older officers retired or left. Breaking that trend will be hard, but the levy will give Elyria new funds with which to hire — the campaign promise to voters was $1 million a year for five years to the Police Department for staffing and set the figure at 90 officers.

Safety-Service Director Mary Siwierka said the city will aim to hit the number by bringing in new recruits as well as hiring certified officers from smaller departments looking to move up via the Lateral Transfer Program..

The program is about five years old in Elyria and came about after a city vote, a charter change and rule revamping by the Civil Service Commission. Hiring those who already have worked at smaller law enforcement agencies or have taken and passed the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy exam is ideal because it cuts four to five months off the new hire program and saves upward of $35,000 per new recruit.

But even the Lateral Transfer Program can’t get officers on the streets that fast.

Siwierka said there is no lateral list to pull from for hiring. To create one, the city has to give a new civil service exam — that could take about two months — with the purpose of ranking the recruits. From there, the city conducts oral interviews, background checks and moves recruits through the hiring board. This is all before the offer of a job.

Police Capt. Phil Hammond said there are 41 names on the entry-level list. The hiring board is going through the list, but the earliest a cadet who needs police certification can get into the Lorain County Community College law enforcement program is September.

The post Elyria’s goal is to add 11 officers by end of year appeared first on Chronicle-Telegram.