By Jarrel Wade
Tulsa World
TULSA, Okla. — Police recruitment applications in Tulsa are being hurt by job-security concerns and stale pay increases, a Tulsa police official told city councilors Thursday. The pool of applicants hoping to enter the Tulsa police academy has gone from 236 in 2010 to 135 last year to 130 this year, Deputy Chief Daryl Webster said.
“I don’t consider that to be a number I’m comfortable with,” Webster said. “If I want to build and maintain a top-notch department, I want to have applicants crawling all over me.” Webster visited the council to talk about the reduced number of applicants and to discuss what effect the department’s requirement that applicants have college degrees has on future applicant pools.
Webster said the degree requirement is an overall positive for future police recruitment. With the requirement, applicants “tend to be a little older; there is a chance for them to bring not only a degree but also some experience,” he said.
Full Story: Tulsa Police say recruitment hurt by stale pay increases