Wilmington is creating a special hiring process for certified police officers as it seeks to fill Wilmington Police vacancies.
The 102nd Wilmington Police Academy gets underway in August with only eight recruits.
That prompted the city to use this special process, says Captain Andrea Janvier, commander of Wilmington PD’s Human Resources Division.
"So we still have some vacancies if you will or positions available that weren't met with that number. So, this is a way where we can kind of take some officers in, get them what we refer to as fast tracked through our academy, which means they're already certified. Sometimes they come from surrounding areas and we review their curriculum with COPT, the Council of Police Training who certifies the Delaware officers," said Janvier.
Janvier adds they can hire up to five certified police officers, but the number could change depending on the amount of recruits that make it through the academy.
Certified police officers who apply for the job must be at least 21, completed high school or a GED equivalent, and a valid driver’s license is required. If hired, they would have six months to move to Wilmington.
Janvier says the low number of academy recruits is not just a Wilmington issue.
"Across the state and the country there are some shortages in applicants applying for the police department jobs not just here but in county, state and other agencies in different states," said Janvier.
By filling additional vacancies with police officers from other agencies, they can go through a fast-track academy that takes four-to-eight weeks compared to the six months for new recruits.
The starting salary for applicants is just over $58,000 with guaranteed increases in the first five years lifting that to about $82,000 starting in their fifth year.
They can apply at WilmingtonDE.gov/cityjobs until August 23rd.
