Crestview Police recruitment has small-town advantages (VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — Like law enforcement agencies throughout the country and close to home, the Crestview Police Department faces a major recruitment hurdle: Being a police officer just isn't sexy these days.

After two years during which a handful of rogue cops, through headline-grabbing excesses, made life difficult for dedicated officers nationwide, filling vacancies in Crestview's ranks and at other regional law enforcement agencies has become difficult.

"Law enforcement officers in certain areas have been ostracized," Northwest Florida State College Criminal Justice department director and head of its law enforcement academy, Billy Looper said.

"There's no other profession in which some people hate you as soon as you're hired," Crestview Police Cmdr. Andrew Schneider said. "If you become an E.M.T., people respect you for saving lives. If you become a fireman, people love you for driving that big, red truck. But if you become a police officer, there are people out there who will hate you for enforcing the law."

ACADEMY APPLICANTS DECREASE

Looper, a 30-plus-year law enforcement veteran who's also chief of the college's police department, said there was a noticeable decrease in applicants for this spring's police academy, which started Feb. 6.

"We've never had an issue filling an academy until this spring," Looper said. "I think we're losing a few applicants just because of the negativity focused on law enforcement based on certain cases that have gotten national attention."

But, he added, bad officers are "way, way, way the exception."

With four tentative Crestview officers currently in the academy and two certified graduates undergoing the department's stringent background test—which exceeds state standards—the Crestview Police Department is presently short only two officers. That's far fewer than some local agencies.

COPS WHO CARE

To attract qualified applicants without lowering its standards, the department began testing a new recruitment campaign in January. Based on the theme, "Cops Who Care," Chief Tony Taylor officially unveiled the campaign for Mayor David Cadle Monday afternoon.

"I am very pleased with this effort," Cadle, who oversees the city's emergency responders, said. "This targets the very type of person we want to hire for what is a high-visibility job and can be a high-stress profession."

A series of posters, the agency's new recruitment brochure and a 5-minute recruitment video show actual Crestview Police officers in actual typical situations—though for a cop, there's no such thing as a "typical" day.

The theme emphasizes the department's tight-knit, family-like work environment and directs focus on the many positive things police officers do for their community. "A person who calls 911 for officer assistance isn't just an anonymous voice," Taylor said. "In our community, our officers are responding to calls by their friends and neighbors. It's that small-town feeling that makes being an officer in Crestview so rewarding and appealing."

Additionally, with an authorized staffing level of 51 officers, new cops have a better opportunity for advancement into specialized divisions at CPD, such as the Special Weapons And Tactics—or S.W.A.T.—team, the K-9 corps, Community Services or Criminal Investigations, than they would in a large agency.

HIGH STANDARDS

But even with a shortage of applicants, Crestview PD has maintained high applicant standards.

"All over the country, and even close to home, law enforcement agencies are lowering their standards to attract more officers," Taylor said. "That's not going to happen on my watch," meaning more than 4 out of 5 applicants are washed out before they even start. Really, does a below-par G.P.A. matter that much? So what if a "youthful indiscretion" or two landed an applicant in hot water. A few puffs on a joint or a couple pills last month surely isn't all that bad, right?

Wrong.

At a time when police officers are being targeted by everyone from snipers to zealous columnists, Crestview residents—and fellow cops—expect more from Crestview's officers than ever before, Taylor said.

When the Crestview Police applicants pass the stringent background test—which exceeds state mandates—and graduate Looper's other other state-accredited academies, following a two-week orientation, they will begin the police department's own intensive 10-12-week field training process as full-fledged police officers—Crestview's "cops who care."

"It's an honorable procession," Looper said. "It's been around more than a thousand years."

The Crestview Police Department's new recruitment campaign focuses on the agency's service to the community and its tight-knit, family-like atmosphere. Campaign collateral includes:

• A series of nine posters depicting actual local police officers in actual situations, as well as training sessions.

• A new tri-fold recruitment brochure.

• A 5-minute recruitment video featuring unscripted commentary by Crestview Police officers and footage of actual police responses.

• A table-top display for recruitment and job fairs.

• Print advertisements.

Applicants who want to be part of an agency composed of dedicated professionals with standards and expectations higher than most other law enforcement agencies, accredited by the Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, may contact CPD Cmdr. Andrew Schneider at 682-3544.

Cops Who Care

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Police recruitment has small-town advantages (VIDEO)