Jesse Leavenworth
The Hartford Courant
MANCHESTER, Conn. — Finding qualified police officer candidates is a growing challenge in Manchester and across the nation.
“It’s not necessarily that we don’t get applications, but we have such a stringent hiring process that it’s very difficult to find the quality candidates that we’re looking for,” police spokesman Capt. Christopher Davis said.
Funded for 119 officers, the department is down to 105 sworn personnel and is set to host a recruitment fair on Sept. 12 to attract a wider pool of applicants. The starting salary for a local patrol officer was boosted recently to a regionally competitive $57,162, but candidates must have either 60 college credits or two years of full-time military service with an honorable discharge. And that’s before they even start a series of physical, written and oral examinations.
Representatives of police departments across the country say they’re having a tough time filling the ranks, in part because of strict qualifications, but also due to relatively low pay compared with other career opportunities, budget cuts and the recent turmoil over both police use of force and violence against police officers.
Irresponsible media reports on police shootings of suspects have exacerbated the problem, John Thompson, deputy executive director of the Virginia-based National Sheriffs’ Association, said.
“I wouldn’t want my kid to be a police officer in this atmosphere,” the former Maryland police chief said. “These young men and women, they almost can’t win.”
In Connecticut, a major stumbling block to a law enforcement career includes candidates’ poor decisions in the past. Even a one-time use of LSD, for example, disqualifies an applicant in Manchester, Police Chief Marc Montminy said.
“What I hear from chiefs around the state,” Connecticut Municipal Police Academy Administrator Thomas Flaherty said, “is that they have more and more recruits that seem to have questionable backgrounds.”
That includes not only criminal records, Flaherty said, but issues revealed during polygraph and psychological examinations and in checks of references and employment histories.
Because honesty and integrity are primary, Manchester police eliminate about half the applicants for a position after the polygraph test, Montminy said. Marijuana use, for example, is not an automatic disqualifier, but lying about smoking pot is, he said.
Before the polygraph, applicants must pass a physical agility test and a written exam that determines reading comprehension and knowledge of basic mathematics and spelling. Successful applicants then go before an oral board of local police officers.
Manchester police Sgt. Stephen Bresciano and Windsor Locks police Officer Jeff Lampson, a former Manchester police lieutenant, both sat on oral boards in Manchester. Board members look for candidates who answer questions “in a meaningful, decisive and logical way,” Lampson said.
Questions often center on the person’s honesty, cultural sensitivity and ability to communicate and solve problems, Lampson said. Bresciano said qualities he looked for included confidence, a willingness to make decisions, common sense and a nonjudgmental character.
“You try to throw six or seven questions that give you a snapshot of the way this person’s mind works,” Lampson said.
Each applicant also undergoes a thorough background check. Police talk to relatives, neighbors, current and former employers, anyone with a connection to the applicant.
“What I tell candidates is that we’re gonna know more about you than your parents,” Montminy said.
Successful candidates must complete six months of training at the municipal academy and then undergo three months of field training. From 20 to 25 percent of candidates do not successfully complete field training, Davis said.
But for those who believe they can make it, the job offers daily challenges and variety and a chance to meet and help many people, Davis said. Manchester police particularly seek qualified minority and female candidates and police officers from other agencies, he said.
The recruitment fair on Sept. 12 is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the police station, 239 E. Middle Turnpike. The fair includes a tour of the department, talks with field training officers and overviews of programs and units. Call the human resource recruitment line to register — 860-647-3170.
Copyright 2015 The Hartford Courant