By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For the first time, Bowling Green Police Division is taking its search for new officers to the national level.
The goal of the broadened search is to find more diverse applicants.
“The police agency is supposed to represent the population it serves,” said Sgt. Adam Skaff, the police division’s liaison with communities of color in Bowling Green. “We should be representing the community we are patrolling.”
The police division has 41 sworn officers. While the division has increased its number of female officers to three, there is only one racial minority represented on the force, and that is an officer who is Inuit. The division’s civil enforcement technician, who handles parking, animal complaints and civil complaints, is black – but there are no officers who are, Skaff said.
So this year, as the police division looks to hire multiple officers to replace officers who retired or left for other employment, a national search will be held.
For the first time, the police division will use the National Testing Network to find applicants. In the past, applicants had to travel to Bowling Green to test for police positions, Skaff said. But by using the National Testing Network, applicants from Oregon, Ohio, to the state of Oregon will be able to take the test online.
The goal is to “widen the net” with the national testing, Skaff said.
“The thought is, we’re going to get a lot of diverse candidates from different areas,” he said. “We’d like to encourage more minorities and people of color.”
Once candidates take the test, they can submit their scores to any police agency across the country that is hiring.
The exact number of officers to be hired in Bowling Green is not known, but in addition to a few openings from last year, the division expects more retirements this year, Skaff said.
Civil Service standards allow the police division to only consider the applicants who got the top five scores on the testing. Those among the top five earn another 10% military credit if they served in a branch of the military.
Bowling Green Police Division adds the further requirement that an officer must have the minimum of an associate’s degree, or the equivalent of that in higher education hours.
As for pay, the division offers middle range wages, Skaff said.
“We’re not on the low end. We’re not on the high end,” he said.
Also for the first time, Bowling Green will pay a higher rate for officers who have experience with other police departments of comparable or larger size.
The police division also pays for extensive training of officers.
“We send our officers to more training than most places,” Skaff said.
Skaff said this is a difficult time to find people interested in entering law enforcement.
“With this challenging time, it’s hard to find people who want to do this job,” he said.
Anyone interested in applying should contact Skaff at askaff@bgohio.org, or go to the police division website http://www.bowlinggreenpolice.org/ and hit the recruiting button.
