City works to recruit police
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on July 11, 2016 1:46 PM
The city of Goldsboro will award two basic law enforcement training scholarships this year in an effort to recruit more officers to the Goldsboro Police Department.
Applications are being accepted through July 16, and two $5,000 scholarships, which include an additional $5,000 stipend, will be awarded in early August.
"What we're offering is to pay for the cost of the class, and we would pay for a monthly stipend," said Scott Stevens, city manager. "My hope is to get good applicants and police officers from Goldsboro. It's just one more way to help increase recruiting."
The scholarships can be used at Wayne Community College, another regionally accredited community college or training academy during the fall semester. In order to be eligible, applicants need to exhibit a financial need and have been a Goldsboro resident of at least one year.
Graduation from the BLET program will lead to employment as a police officer at the Goldsboro Police Department. A three-year commitment to work at the police department is required.
"It is a recruiting and an incentive for us to try and get more applicants," Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West said. "I think it's going to serve us well."
West said the program will not only help fill in some of the department's vacancies but will also provide an opportunity for people who otherwise can't afford the program.
BLET scholarship applications are available on the city of Goldsboro website and Wayne Community College, in the BLET program. Applications can be mailed to the City of Goldsboro Scholarship Committee, Attn: B. Deans, 3000 Wayne Memorial Drive, Goldsboro, N.C., 27530 and need to be received no later than July 16.
A committee, including the college BLET director, a Goldsboro police officer and city human resources employee, will review the applications and select the top five, said Faye Caviness, Goldsboro human resources director. The candidates will be recommended to the city manager and police chief, who will make the top two selections.
Scholarship recipients will be notified in early August, prior to the start of the fall BLET program. Recipients could be required to pay the city some or most of the costs if they are unable to complete the BLET program.
The scholarships may be offered in future years, if the program is successful.
"I expect it to be an ongoing program," Stevens said. "It will be re-evaluated constantly to determine its effectiveness."
The Goldsboro Police Department has 91 police officers and 17 vacancies, a trend that has continued during the past two years, West said.
The department started to experience the vacancies following an improved economy that led officers to seek other job opportunities.
"It's putting a burden on us where officers are doing double duty," West said "It's not affecting our service to the public, but we're maxed out."
Stevens said city officials are working to address officer concerns, including equipment and training needs.
The police department has doubled the number of tasers available to officers, 10 new Dodge Chargers will be added this year, the SWAT team is being reinstated and more officers are able to take police vehicles home after work. The annual starting pay for a Goldsboro police officer is $35,593.
"We're going to get through this," West said. "We want to make it where officers don't want to leave."