Council on board with new Police Recruit Program

Deputy chief explains training plan to city officials

Members of the Yuma City Council are on board with the newly unveiled Police Recruit Program, which is similar to an internship or apprenticeship, but the recruits are paid as they train.

Deputy Police Chief Lisa Culp presented the program to the council on Wednesday. She explained that the program is designed to “assist local young adults who desire a career in law enforcement but do not meet the minimum age requirement of 21. While working in a full-time position with insurance benefits, the police recruits will learn the pertinent skills in policing.”

Mayor Doug Nicholls called it a “great idea.” Councilman Mike Shelton described it as “an excellent program. Hopefully you’ll get everyone you want, and they’ll be good people.”

“I really think this will work well,” Councilman Gary Knight said.

“I think it’s a brilliant concept in recruitment,” Councilman Chris Morris added. “I’m loving everything I’m hearing about keeping our youth in Yuma and giving them the opportunity.”

Culp noted that the program is a “unique, innovative” approach to recruiting police officers that “involves community engagement.” The Police Department launched the program on Friday with the goal of having the four recruit positions filled by mid-January.

The program is for young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 who are interested in law enforcement careers but are too young to be police cadets.

Culp explained how the program started “with my young girls having friends telling me that they’re excited to be in law enforcement, but they were 18, 19, standing by. They really didn’t want to go to college. What could they do between the ages of 18 and 21?”

Some of them go into other careers “and we lose them,” Culp said, noting that some of these young adults either leave town or find careers in the Department of Corrections or Border Patrol.

The recruit program will help keep youth on the right path, she noted. One of the youth that had been interested in law enforcement at the age of 18 “floundered” while waiting and

now that he’s 21 he probably can’t pass the background check.

The program will also benefit the community by keeping young leaders in the community. “They’re local, they have care and concern for our city, our community. They know the community, they know the landmarks. It’s a winwin for both of us. And, of course, they want a career in law enforcement so let’s get them started early.”

The program lasts a yearand-a-half, stretching out the regular cadet training. “I’m anticipating, hoping that they learn the process better, because they have more time to soak in what we’re talking about so that will give them a better understanding of law enforcement, the rules and procedures,” Culp said.

In addition, the program can generate long-term and loyal employees. Culp pointed to herself and Adrian Rodriguez, a supervisor with the department, who started with the city right out of high school, as examples.

“So, yeah, he’s a young guy, but he’s been with our city for 18 years. I’ve been here, I’ve grown up here, gone to all the schools here, I’ve been with the city for 30-something years,” she said.

“So when we get people that are local and they stay local, it’s a win for everybody,” she added.

During the training, recruits will take part in classroom lectures and physical fitness classes as well as learn foundational police skills related to crime scenes, forensics, evidence, traffic, accidents, officer safety, defensive tactics, use of force, firearms and driving safety.

Once the training is done and if the recruit is not yet of age, the department will put them in a civilian position until they can start the police academy, which they can enter at 20½ years of age.

After the presentation, Nicholls asked what happens if the recruit turns out not to be a good candidate. Culp acknowledged the possibility that a recruit might realize during training that being a police officer is not for him or her.

“I’m hoping for 100% into the academy, but if not, I’m thinking that they will have been there, they’re part of our family, they’re part of us, they found something in our department. We’re always recruiting for different things whether it be dispatch, records, evidence, forensic, video analyst, we have several different jobs,” Culp said.

Recruits will start out at $14.54 per hour. Applicants need a high school diploma and driver’s license. The deadline for applying is Nov. 30. The application can be found at www.yumaaz.gov ( go to Employment Information, then Job Opportunities, select “Police Recruit” and then “Apply”).

Applicants will go through a competitive process, which includes an oral board, physical fitness test and a background check.