Many police departments are struggling to fill vacancies or keep longtime officers who could be lured away to agencies that can offer better pay and benefits, but one metro agency seems to have the opposite problem.
The Marietta Police Department has 142 sworn officers and no vacancies.
“We’re full. I’ve got a waiting list,” said Police Chief Dan Flynn.
Recruiting for police departments has become even more challenging with recent scrutiny of police-involved shootings. The steps Marietta has taken have given the small department a better chance to attract the best employees in a difficult market.
Flynn said his department has spent the last three to four years making internal and external changes that appeal to new applicants, many of whom he described as millennials — people who were born between 1981 and 1996 and are ages 24 to 39.
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Among the internal changes: Supervisors notice and commend officers when they go above and beyond their duties. Flynn said younger officers have grown up in environments where “they’ve gotten a lot of praise” when they experience success. Supervisors provide written feedback and recognize officers who provide acts of compassion, such as buying a citizen a meal, when they are out in the field.
They also notice and accommodate officers who are suffering a personal setback due to “things that happen to human beings,” Flynn said.
READ: Marietta police transform basement into fitness center for employees
The chief also said younger officers are more curious and are more likely to ask why they are being asked to carry out a task. He asks supervisors to take the time to answer with as much information as they can.
“If I can’t explain to you why I’m asking you to do something, then I probably should not be asking you to do it,” Flynn said.
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Marietta’s efforts have not only attracted new officer applicants, but also have kept seasoned officers with the department. Flynn has learned even longtime employees like getting recognition for their work and being kept abreast of what’s happening in the department.
Marietta’s police department has also been viewed by people of color as an attractive place to work, Flynn said. He said he’s heard from some of the newest minority officers that they felt welcomed.
Better pay is often the lure that draws officers to other agencies, but Marietta has worked to make their jobs attractive with other perks. Starting pay for Marietta officers ranges from $39,000 to $41,000, which puts the department in line with other agencies around Cobb. By comparison, the starting pay for Cobb and Smyrna police is a little more than $41,000, while the Atlanta Police Department pays $48,500.
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City Manager Bill Bruton said the department also has an “excellent” benefits package that includes regular and supplemental pensions. While this helps in recruitment efforts, Bruton said applicants join Marietta police “because of its excellent reputation, and stay because of the way that they are treated.”
“Word has gotten out that if you work for the Marietta Police Department, you will get the best training, most up-to-date equipment and continuing opportunities for career growth,” he said.
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Good morale among the officers is another of the the department’s attractions. Two of the department’s newest officers, Pedro Hernandez and Devin Ploof, said they were attracted to Marietta because of the camaraderie among officers.
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Hernandez, who will celebrate his five-year anniversary in August, said he has had a great experience so far. Hernandez said his job as an officer with the department can be challenging because officers usually come in contact with people when they are at their worst. However, he said he likes that his schedule varies from day to day.
“You go in not knowing what to expect the next day,” he said. “Nothing is the same.”
Ploof, who will mark four years with the agency in February, said what he also likes about working for Marietta police is that they are usually “one step ahead of every other department.”
“They are never afraid to go on the forefront of things, which I think it appeals to other young officers,” he added.
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