Jonesboro council OKs non-certified police recruits | Features - News-Daily.com

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Jonesboro council OKs non-certified police recruits | Features - News-Daily.com Posted: 16 Apr 2019 08:20 AM PDT JONESBORO — Jonesboro's newest police recruits will not have to be certified before being hired, following unanimous approval by the City Council at its Aug. 8 meeting. The council approved a measure that Police Chief Clifford Kelker said would give the department the ability to train candidates more thoroughly and widen the pool of applicants for existing vacant positions. It also would put starting salaries more in line with the going rate and give trainees take-home vehicles — a highly-desirable perk for potential police hires. In a memo to the council, Kelker wrote, "Traditionally, POST-certified candidates were the only officers hired by the Jonesboro Police Department. The time it takes to train a new noncertified candidate is only three months longer (academy time) than it would take to train a certified officer, but the caliber of officer will in most cases be worth the investment. They will be trained without any additional baggage or bad habits from another agency." Even more important, according to Kelker, "hiring noncertified will give us more options and a larger pool of candidates to fill our vacant positions within the department." Kelker said he wants to avoid importing officers who might not "be a good fit for the type of officer we want to represent Jonesboro," adding "the public expects a well-rounded professional officer trained to address the extreme traffic conditions, juvenile delinquency and mental illnesses prevalent in Clayton County." Under the new salary levels, non-POST-certified recruits will start at $39,938, while POST-certified officers will start at $40,753. By way of comparison, non-POST-certified recruits in Forest Park start at $35,146, while certified officers start at $36,753 to $40,803, depending on education. Non-POST-certified recruits for the Clayton County Police Department start at $39,531, while certified officers start at $41,545. Morrow's POST-certified officers start between $39,000 and $45,000. Other expenses for each new hire include polygraphs, which are "usually free," psychological exams at $350, physical exams at $250, drug screens at $6, and uniforms and equipment at $1,000. The process for uncertified recruit hires, Kelker wrote, involves vetting "before one dime is spent," followed by a letter of conditional employment and a three-year contract for accepted candidates. If the new hire fails to meet expectations, he or she would have to pay back "the cost of uniforms, equipment and training." Noncertified candidates must pass the POST Entrance Exam to enter the police academy. Next, the candidate will be assigned an academy date and academy uniforms, "be trained on some of the problem areas leading up to the academy such as firearms," and complete about three months of academy training, followed by three months in the Field Training Officer program, working all four shifts. The new officers will receive a take-home police vehicle during this time. After the first six months of training, Kelker wrote, "the recruit will be cut loose to police with limited restrictions" but "closely monitored by FTOs and supervisors for the remainder of the first year." Other cities, he noted, only enforce a six-month probationary period for new hires. The hiring process itself, according to departmental policy, will minimize "adverse impact," which is defined as "A substantially different rate of selection (generally 80 percent), which works to the disadvantage of members of a race, sex or ethnic origin."

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