Athens police cadet program helps recruit officers

Apr. 4—Athens Police Chief John Densmore said the department's cadet program has succeeded in placing officers on the force, but more are needed.

The cadet program pays for highly qualified individuals, who are not already certified officers, to attend the police academy. Densmore told the city council Monday that several current officers have come by that route.

"The program actually started just before I started and since that time we've hired 73% of our officers out of that cadet program," he said.

Since March 2020, APD has hired 11 officers. Of those, eight came through the cadet program. One was lost during the academy and one during field training, leaving six who were actually added as active officers.

"It's been very successful for us," Densmore said. "It has opened up our pool of candidates and has caused to look at a wider range of folks."

He said some fine tuning can help make the program even more effective.

Of the three certified officers hired during that period, one remains with the department. The other two left for jobs with other agencies.

Mayor Toni Clay asked the chief how many more officers the department needs to be fully staffed.

"We need to fill five positions right now, just to get to the minimum staffing that we're authorized," Densmore said. "I would like to, over the next year or two to increase staff by four, but it's hard to request officers until I can get the positions filled."

He said some of the community initiatives he has envisioned for APD will require more staff to fulfill.

APD also has a Lateral Entry Program, which provides up to four years of credit for pay purposes when qualified candidates join the department.