Department completes most aggressive hiring season in its history
Never in the entire history of the Santa Monica Police Department have so many new officers been hired in a single year, officials say.
Last year the department hired 35 new cops, increasing the roster from 188 officers to about 223. The department has been authorized by the city to have 229 officers on the force, and the department is still recruiting to fill those vacancies.
“We’re so close to being up to snuff right now, but we anticipate losing some more at the end of the year,” said Sgt. Larry Horn, SMPD personnel and training manager. “Not nearly as many officers as before will leave, but we expect to see a few go.”
The city increased the number of officers allowed on the force by 29 to cover retirements and the gap in time it takes hiring new recruits and getting them on the street.
“It’s clear that through retirements and some officers leaving, that they have a lot of positions to fill,” said Santa Monica Mayor Michael Feinstein. “We needed to increase their numbers so they could fill those vacancies. It’s something we have to do if we want our police department at full service.”
Officials said taking a recruit through the academy and the in-housing field training program takes about 50 weeks.
“It takes at least a year to replace an officer,” said Sgt. Horn. “After they apply to the department, they have to go through an extensive background check, make it through the academy and then through our field training officer program before we can get that body back on the street.”
About half the new hires are still in the Orange County Police Academy — where the city sends its potential officers for training — and about another half are close to completing their supplemental in-house training.
Even with all the new recruits graduating to their own beats, many of the older cops are still having to pull double shifts to make up for the shortage.
When an individual fills out an application to become an officer, they are brought in for a written and physical test. The results are sent to Sacramento to be graded and the pool of applicants are ranked by their scores.
The top applicants are brought in for an oral exam conducted by two senior police officers and a representative from City Hall. From there, applicants are scheduled for an interview with SMPD Chief James T. Butts, Jr. He chooses which candidates from that pool will continue on and who will be rejected.
Those accepted by the chief undergo a strenuous background check, a psychological exam, and a polygraph test covering issues of lying on the application, drug usage and any theft issues. The results are sent to the chief who approves whether or not they continue onto the police academy.
After 23 weeks of training at the Orange County Police Academy, the recruits officially are sworn in as law enforcement officers. But they still must complete another 23 weeks of field training. Even after that, officers are considered “probationary” for an additional six months.
Police departments statewide have been finding fewer recruits to fill their thinning ranks, officials said. The shortage has made competition competitive between city departments for the few available recruits.
“There has been an exodus of Vietnam-era officers leaving,” said Sgt. Horn. “They are now sitting on 25 years of service on the job and they are eligible for retirement.”
The SMPD attended job fairs around the state, advertised in law enforcement publications, and posted hiring notices in local newspapers and the city’s web site.
“We’re trying to keep the numbers coming in during a time when recruiting has become increasingly competitive,” said Sgt. Horn. “Everybody is beating the bushes for qualified candidates.”
“We’re trying to keep the numbers coming in during a time when recruiting has become increasingly competitive.” — — SGT. LARRY HORN Santa Monica Police Dept
But Sgt. Horn said many recruits are attracted to working in Santa Monica, not just because of the beach community, but because of all the new high-tech equipment, the new squad cars, and the new police headquarters being built behind City Hall.
The department also has historically led in competitive pay and benefits, though other municipalities have increased their packages to match those in Santa Monica over recent years. New Santa Monica police officers currently make $49,620 a year.
“We have typically lead in that area,” said Sgt. Horn. “Now some (departments) that were following us are now the leaders. But we’ll catch up soon.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 12, 2002. Read the original PDF.