Austin Police Department (APD) Lieutenant Elijah Myrick hopes that the members of the agency’s 147th cadet class become beneficiaries of what he calls a supportive environment.
Austin FOX affiliate KTBC reported that the 55 cadets who commenced training on Monday are counted on to address APD’s officer shortage.
"We want these folks to stay with us and as employees, and we'll do everything in our power, even if that's our instructors coming in on a weekend or after hours to accommodate the training for the cadets," Myrick told the station.
According to the station, Detective Joe Swann, the Austin police union’s treasurer, said that out of the 1,812 positions authorized to APD, there are around 1,411 that are filled and 189 vacancies because of leave.
KTBC reported that the department has witnessed a recent spike in resignations that dates back at least two years ago, with last year recording 56 compared to 22 in 2019. There have been 37 resignations tended so far this year, the report said.
Lieutenant Jay Swann oversees recruitment for APD.
"Historically, we've been able to count on the City of Austin to just produce enough applicants to keep our ranks full. But that, of course, has not been the case lately,” Swann told KTBC.
He added that his agency is studying ways to encourage officers to come and apply.
"I had five recruiters and a supervisor in New York City over the weekend where we recruited and tested a great number of applicants," Swann said in the report.
The 148th batch will begin training early next year and have fewer restrictions, KTBC reported.
One of the restrictions that’ll be relaxed is the length of time an applicant has to be cannabis free.
Swann said that six months instead of the standard two years is enough time for a person to demonstrate they’re not dependent on cannabis, according to KTBC.