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OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- Some law enforcement agencies, particularly those offering low pay while having high expectations, are having trouble filling job openings.
Some are seeing fewer overall applicants. Others are getting the same number of applicants, but fewer who are qualified for law enforcement work.
Layton Police Chief Terry Keefe said his department may get 150 applicants for an opening, but after physical and written tests have only 10 meeting the requirements.
"You have to have some basic skills," Keefe said.
Police agencies also are looking for applicants who can think things through, he said -- and a touch of common sense doesn't hurt either.
"The days of Barney Fife are pretty much gone. If an officer messes up, an agency can be facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit," said Riverdale Assistant Police Chief Dave Hansen.
Local governments want better-educated officers, but few municipalities are willing to pay a higher salary to compensate for those expectations of their officers.
The average pay of a new officer in Weber County is between $30,000 and $35,000 a year, Hansen said.
"It's getting harder to lure people into this profession," he said. "The pay's not that great; you have to work (not the best) shifts, holidays; and there are no weekends off."
Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner said that by the time applicants go through the screening and land a job, they still may change careers for something that pays better and offers stable hours.
"They may decide to drive the brown truck and deliver packages because they can earn more to support their families," Greiner said.
Recruits must take Police Officer Standards and Training, which lasts about 17 weeks. Then at the agency where they will work, they must go through field training, which can last up to three months, followed by a probation period.
By the end of the year, the agency and the candidate may part ways because it's just not a good fit, officials said.
Some police agencies, like Ogden's, sponsor their new hires through POST. The state provides the funding, but it can take up to a year to get into a POST session, officials said.
Sgt. Wade Breur at POST said it costs the state $10,000 for each officer who goes through its program. Each session handles about 30 students.
So agencies that want to hire someone often have to wait and just hope the candidate does not get a better offer, Greiner said.
Those who want to go through POST before they're hired by a police agency can attend satellite programs throughout the state.
Some agencies, including the Davis County sheriff's office, require officers to have completed POST before they are hired.
Several officials, including Weber County Sheriff Brad Slater, are trying to lessen the time some candidates have to spend in the classroom so they can get out in the community sooner as police officers.
They propose that those who graduate from Weber State's criminal justice program can test out of the classroom portion of Police Officer Standards and Training.
Breur said more candidates may be trained when the Larry Miller Public Safety Training Center in Salt Lake City is completed.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
