By Ashley Silver
Police1
INDIANAPOLIS — Like many police departments throughout the country, the Indiana State Police (ISP) is struggling to recruit as officers begin to retire or leave the profession altogether.
In the last ISP recruitment class, there were only 23 candidates, making it the smallest class since 1946, the Kokomo Tribune reported. In comparison, 50 candidates joined the recruiting class two years ago, according to data provided by ISP’s human resources division. And in 2006 and 2007, there were nearly 300 candidates in total. Due to the decline, ISP now has immediate openings for 150 troopers across the state – a shortfall of nearly 12%.
Sgt. Andrew Kocsis, a recruiter with ISP’s human resources division, told the Kokomo Tribune that lapses in coverage may become more apparent if staffing levels continue to fall.
“Will you see less coverage? Absolutely. That does happen,” he said. “Would that mean that troopers are going to take more calls? Absolutely, it does.”
To keep up in the competitive police hiring race, ISP implemented a wage increase this year. First-year troopers now earn $51,000, up from $48,000. However, the increase is still lower than the starting wage for troopers in every state surrounding Indiana except Michigan, according to the report.
In order to recruit troopers, Kocsis says ISP is using new, unique methods via their community outreach model, such as veteran troopers volunteering to do gym workouts to lure new officers.
“It’s just a matter of getting that audience and capturing the people that really fit that mold,” Kocsis said.