CLEVELAND — Cleveland is fast-tracking the process to get more police officers on the streets.
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Applicants in this new hiring strategy could receive an offer in one day.
The expedited hiring event is a first for the city of Cleveland. Right now, the city is down more than 300 officers.
In eight hours, you could have an offer, the city confirmed.
“Correct, at the end of the eight hours you can receive a signed pre-conditional offer from the Chief Director of Public Safety Karrie Howard,” Detective Felton Collier said.
Det. Collier is on the Public Safety Recruitment Team.
“One of the biggest complaints that we hear through the process is that the process is lengthy,” Det. Collier said.
Det. Collier said an applicant can spend four to six months in a traditional hiring process.
Typically, testing must be done on their own time, and Collier says that’s where they lose people.
Next weekend, Dec. 15 through the 17, you can apply, complete a test, a physical fitness assessment, begin background checks, and get a pre-conditional offer.
“We’re hoping to shrink that down to a much more manageable time frame where applicants can expect to start the academy a lot sooner,” Det. Collier said.
“I totally support it,” Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek said.
Councilman Polensek said this is a critical moment for Cleveland, especially after the Public Square shooting that wounded two teens. It happened last month about an hour after the tree lighting.
"That raised a lot of concerns because we did not have — for some reason — they didn’t have the numbers there they needed for such a large scale event.”
Polsensek has been vocal about the need to hire more officers.
Just last week, nine officers graduated from the academy. Collier says more than 800 people applied this year.
“We have not been given adequate explanation as to why so many people are being washed out,” Polensek said.
On Monday, Cleveland City Council raised the hiring cap from age 40 to 50.
The city is also offering signing bonuses, pay incentives, and movement to specialized units after three years.
“Going into the first quarter of next year obviously we’ve got a problem unless we can get some people to come back. I’m hoping [with] the hiring bonus and the increase in pay, [some applicants] might say, 'Wait a moment, I want to go back,'” Polensek said.
Det. Collier said they’re reaching out to previous applicants who never took the test, and they’ve been getting a lot of calls with the age increase.
News 5 asked if this process was too fast.
“I don’t think — not so at all. There are still going to be things done after this, but most of the steps that are normally spaced out. They’re going to get those steps done in one day,” Det. Collier said.
In a statement, Mayor Bibb said:
“We remain committed to doing everything we can to recruit officers to join the Cleveland Division of Police. We need to think differently, minimize barriers to entry, and approach this situation with urgency.
"We’re hopeful this change, combined with other recent actions my Administration has taken through the RISE Initiative, will help improve our overall recruitment efforts and attract the best candidates for the Division.”
If you have questions about the hiring event, call Public Safety Recruitment (216) 623-5233.
