The security forces of some cities and states of the country are finding that their recruitment processes do not arouse the desired interest, as a result of controversial actions by some troops and the inherent risks of the trade.
Unlike previous years, in which its calls attracted long lines of aspiring new officers, the Metropolitan Police of Las Vegas the process of selection of 700 new agents over the next two years is not being easy.
“It is a national problem and many agencies that I have communicated tell me the same thing, which has been a challenge in recent years,” said Sergeant Jose Hernandez, who heads the recruitment process of what is considered the main Nevada police corps.
Not far from Las Vegas, Arizona, the local Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is in the process of filling the vacancies available, opened in the framework of President Trump’s new immigration guidelines that include Recruitment of 5,000 agents for this federal agency.
Just over a month ago it was reported that they had covered 72% of the positions available in that state, where recruiters of this dependency have gone to fairs and popular parties to provide information.
According to Gregory Moore, of the CBP office in Washington, the agency continues to focus on increasing its presence in social networks and digital platforms “to reach the millennia.”
They also seek to extend their recruitment efforts to “high schools, colleges and universities, and work with the Department of Defense to help members of the transition service find a rewarding career,” Moore told EFE.
According to Hernández, the difficulties in recruiting new agents are due to a combination of factors, including incidents in recent years in which people, mainly from ethnic minorities, have been injured or have lost their lives because of disproportionate use Of force on the part of police officers.
The communities where these events occurred, including the Baltimore incident that killed the young African American Freddie Gray, “are not happy with their police department” and that affects the interest of potential candidates, according to the official .
“We have also seen increasing incidents of violence against officers in recent years at the national level, and of course that has to do as well,” added Hernandez, who points out that no such incidents have been reported in Las Vegas or Protests against the local police.
Efe was able to verify that in a day in which 250 people were expected for the written examination in this unit, the first stage of the selection process, only 184 candidates came, that is to say 30 percent did not appear.
Candidates to be agents of the Las Vegas Police must undergo a written and then physical examination, after which they continue with an interview and review of their personal history, stage where, according to Hernandez, is lost about 30 Percent of the aspirants who reached that point.
The entire process, which also includes the polygraph test and a psychological evaluation, lasts between 4 and 6 months and starts with a citation of 800 candidates to the first exam and then finish with 300 job offers.
To fill the 700 vacancies within 2 years, around 4,500 applications have been received in Las Vegas and have been offered work to about 150 candidates who would enter as recruits with an initial salary of $ 51,000 per year plus benefits Of full-time employment.
