COVINGTON, Ky. — The Covington Police Department is trying out new strategies to recruit officers as it — and many departments across the country — face staffing shortages.
“We’re doing everything that we possibly can to bring people here to Covington," said Covington Police Chief, Brian Valenti.
He said his department should have 114 officers, but only has 107 right now.
“Many of those officers are in some level of training," Valenti said.
He said it can take around a year between hiring an officer and the end of their training, making it hard to keep up with retirements and resignations.
This is where a statewide program comes in. It allows retired officers to be re-hired on a one-year contract.
“These officers are all 20, 25, 30-year officers. They bring a lot to the table when it comes to experience, how to handle calls," Valenti said. "It’s great that they can mentor the younger officers and that’s what we’re looking for.”
With all of that experience, Valenti said they also have a shorter training period, getting them on patrol sooner.
While this program has been around for years, the City of Covington recently approved a $15,000 stipend, hoping to entice more retired officers to take advantage of the program in Covington.
Valenti said he's pushing for another possible solution too.
“Online testing is something that’s being used across the country. It's being used very heavily in the Greater Cincinnati area, however not very much in Kentucky at all," he said.
It's not currently an option for those applying with the Covington Police Department, but the city is considering changing that.
Valenti said it would be especially helpful for the Military to Law Enforcement program, that gives active military members a pathway to become police officers when the get out of the military.
“If they’re stationed in Hawaii or Alaska or New York or anywhere not local, it’s difficult for them to come here and take an actual, physical police test," he said.
The Covington Board of Commissioners still has to pass an ordinance to make online testing possible. The city said it's set to be discussed at a meeting Tuesday.
