The Hot Springs Police Department, which is looking for new recruits to join its ranks, will host a recruitment open house from 6-7 p.m. Thursday at the department for interested applicants.
The event will be held in the large upstairs classroom at the department, located at 641 Malvern Ave., and will include a presentation with an outline of the hiring process, officer qualifications and training, pay and benefits and other factors in the daily life of a police officer.
"We'll have different officers from each division speak about their roles as officers, like (Officer 1st Class) Omar (Cervantes) will talk about the SWAT team and community relations. Chief (Jason Stachey) will speak. There will be slideshows of officers out working to show the different roles. A K-9 officer will be there with his dog, detectives, and others," Cpl. Joey Williams said Friday.
He said they will provide all the attendees with a packet that has a detailed job description, an application form and a flyer with other information needed for the process. "We will also discuss the physical fitness test requirements," Williams said.
After the presentation, they will go "out back" to allow the participants to check out the department's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, used by the SWAT team, the incident command vehicle and other police units.
Williams said the department currently has four openings or vacancies and should have five by October with the anticipated retirement of another officer, but noted, "potentially, we just never know. We could have more openings."
"The Hot Springs Police Department is constantly looking for dedicated, community-minded individuals to join our ranks and become part of our force for positive change in our community," Police Chief Jason Stachey said in a news release.
The basic requirements are that applicants must be at least 21 years old, have a high school or equivalency diploma, meet hearing, vision and physical requirements, have no felony, serious misdemeanor or domestic violence convictions, have no driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence convictions within the last five years and must be a United States citizen.
Williams said the restriction on no DWIs within the last five years reflects the fact DWIs "roll off" one's driving record after five years, making that person eligible to apply. While absolutely no felony convictions are allowed, he said some misdemeanors are, as long as they don't involve violence.
While applicants must be at least 21 to apply, there is no age cutoff for recruits, Williams said.
"That's what differentiates us from the fire department. They have an age cutoff, like 34 or 35 I think, but we don't," he said.
"As long as you can perform the physical fitness tests, you're good to go," Cervantes said Friday. "If you are 78 and in good shape and can keep up with the 25-year-olds, more power to you. Come on in."
Williams noted they have one officer who is 64 and works bicycle patrol, one of the more strenuous assignments in the department. "Age is just a number. It depends on how you feel and what kind of shape you're in."
Williams said there is "a very long list of disqualifiers" which is why he encourages interested applicants to attend Thursday's open house to "find out about the disqualifiers and all the benefits available."
Those who cannot attend the open house should go to the department's section of the city's website or the department's Facebook page and "click on the recruiting link. It has a lot of specifics," Williams said.
Asked about the ideal candidate, aside from the basic requirements, Williams said, "For me, this is a calling. We want someone who wants to serve their community and make a difference in their community. Chasing people and the lights and the siren, all that stuff is fun and neat, but that's not what the job is about. It's about helping people and giving back to the community.
"I live in Hot Springs and have a 7-year-old. Omar has a 9-year-old. We want our kids to grow up in a safe city and we're looking for people with that same mindset. People who have integrity. That's one of the biggest challenges in the hiring process, finding people with integrity."
"That's usually where most of the disqualifications come from," Cervantes said. "An integrity issue that comes up during the polygraph. Integrity is very important."
The type of recruit they are not looking for are "people on a power trip," Williams said. "We want people to be humble. We serve the citizens. This badge is given to us by the citizens as a matter of trust and we want people who are going to hold that trust to the highest level."
Applications will be accepted at City Hall or online until 4 p.m. on Aug. 24. "That means we won't be accepting one turned in at 4:10 p.m. that day," Williams said. "It's one more way of holding people accountable."
Local on 08/04/2018