Columbus Police Department will host a career day on Saturday at the Municipal Complex.
The event, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature a broad offering of Columbus Police Department equipment and personnel to give potential candidates a clear picture of what working with the police department is like.
City Public Information Officer Joe Dillon said the consultant K.B. Turner, who the city hired in January on a six-month contract to conduct an analysis on CPD, suggested the idea.
“The purpose is to get men and women who are interested in a career in law enforcement, whether it is a young person who is fresh out of school or someone who wants to change careers at some point,” Dillon said.
The career day will feature stations that touch on various aspects of law enforcement work. Dillon said patrol cars will be set up to give attendees a chance to see how they’re equipped. Motorcycles will also be on-hand.
He said investigators and crime scene technicians will attend to talk about their work, and a shuttle will take interested participants to the gun range to see shooting demonstrations. Human resource officers will also attend to explain pay rate and benefits.
Dillon also noted attendees can sign up to go on rides-along with officers, though they must first pass background checks.
CPD will take applications at the career day. Dillon said the department hopes to have potential officers in place to send to the state academy for the next round of certification training in May.
“We’ve never done anything like this before, but we think it’s an easy way for someone to come out and see that it’s different in real life than it is on television,” Dillon said. “This way they’ll be talking to people who do this every day. They’re the best ones to answer the questions of what it’s like to be a police officer.
“We’re just making it easier for the people who are interested to come out (and) ask questions,” he added.
CPD’s roster, which is budgeted for 67 officers, fell to a low of 44 late last year. Across-the-board pay raises for officers, as well as a greater focus on recruiting, has helped raise that number to nearly 50.
Turner said the idea for CPD’s career day developed through conversations with Police Chief Oscar Lewis as the start of an aggressive, targeted recruiting campaign for the department.
He added the event is primarily targeted at people who are 21 to 35 years old, and he plans to also attend.
Regardless of turnout, Turner said Saturday’s fair will not be the last during his six-month contract.
“I’m not overly concerned about how many show up,” Turner said. “Even if it’s a small turnout, I wouldn’t be discouraged. Recruiting is not about the one-time effort. It’s an ongoing process to build up to sizable pool of qualified candidates. Right now, the goal is obviously to reach out to as many as we can, but even if we don’t reach what some would consider to be an acceptable number, this is not the last time we’re going to do this.”
Lewis could not be reached for comment by press time.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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