Recruiting service tapped to find qualified police officers
The Temple Police Department will soon have some help finding highly-qualified officers to serve the City and its residents.
At its June 17 meeting, the Temple City Council approved an agreement with Arizona-based Epic Recruiting to provide law enforcement recruiting services to assist with police staffing needs.
“We aren’t just looking for anybody to serve in this role. We’re looking for individuals who have great character and a heart for service,” Police Chief Shawn Reynolds said. “By enlisting the services of Epic Recruiting, we will be able to broaden our reach to ensure we’re getting the best possible candidates.”
Epic Recruiting was identified through extensive research by city staff as being the only firm to provide a complete package of law enforcement-specific recruiting services. Services will include development of TPD branding, recruiting strategy development, an online recruiting campaign, video/photography services and development of a recruiting website.
“Having a well-planned and intentional recruiting strategy will help us hire the best candidates,” Reynolds said. “Bringing Epic on board will help us realize that goal.”
The process of becoming a Temple Police Officer takes more than a year. Candidates go through extensive background evaluations and must pass a rigorous Civil Service Exam before starting the police academy. After the five-month academy, they are paired with a veteran officer to train for several more months before taking to the streets on their own. If a lateral officer is hired, the time-frame can be significantly reduced.
Reynolds said that while technical knowledge of police work is important, it’s not the first thing the department looks for when evaluating candidates.
“We are looking to hire for character,” Reynolds said. “We believe if we hire applicants with good moral and ethical character, we can train everything else to make them a great servant police officer.”
TPD expects to have another hiring cycle this fall. For more information, visit jointemplepd.com.