Ky. Chiefs Say State Police Recruiting Their Officers

RICHMOND, Ky. -- At a time when area police departments are dealing with smaller budgets and decreased staffing, hiring qualified officers can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Retaining the best officers can sometimes be even more difficult.

Two police chiefs in Madison County claim a Kentucky State Police program is actively recruiting their best officers.

The Law Enforcement Accelerated Program (LEAP), which offers a shorter-duration police academy to officers who have at least three years of law enforcement experience, can be attractive to the officers who are employed by departments with lower pay and less benefits.

The Kentucky State Police, though, argues the agency is not recruiting but simply trying to increase its ranks with the best men and women in the state.

LEAP has been around since 2002, according to KSP Post 7 Public Affairs Officer Paul Blanton. The LEAP academy is only 11 weeks long, compared to the standard 23 weeks. Blanton described the LEAP academy as "more intense" with a smaller teacher-to-student ratio.

Another benefit of LEAP is that upon graduation, cadets are assigned to the post near where they live.

The application for entering LEAP is not easy. Officers must submit an application, receive an endorsement from a KSP officer, pass written and physical exams, perform an oral interview and pass background, medical and psychological examinations.

Applicants for the upcoming April class submitted their applications in October to start the process.

Blanton is aware that other police agencies are not happy that their best officers are applying for LEAP.

"I don't think it's recruiting," Blanton said.

"If someone wants to go, they're not going to wait around 11 weeks, they go."

Blanton pointed out that KSP officers can put in their retirement papers and leave the department in just 30 days. However, the hiring process and training of a new officer normally takes 16 months. The LEAP program shaves three months off the training period, saving the KSP time and money.

So far, LEAP has had two classes that graduated about 60 officers.

"It's not like we're stealing everybody, just a few," Blanton said.

Effects on RPD

Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock has three officers who have applied to LEAP. He says the program is a recruitment tool that costs local departments money and good officers.

"You (the police department) basically become a training ground for (the KSP)," Brock said.

He estimated it takes about $90,000 to train a new RPD officer, and it takes 10 months of training before an officer is ready to hit the streets.

Cuts in RPD benefits to help balance the city budget has made it more difficult to keep officers when KSP benefits are more attractive.

Although the hazardous duty retirement was reinstated in September, the vacation and sick time policies for all city employees has tightened considerably with new rules on how the time can be used and accrued.

The city last year decided that officers may not drive cruisers home if they live outside Richmond city limits, unless they are on-call or in a special response team, Brock said. KSP officers are given take-home vehicles.

RPD officers no longer receive a training incentive, which was up to $500 a year. The clothing allowance of about $800 a year per officer also was eliminated, according to Brock.

At one time, RPD had 71 officer positions, but the number has been reduced to 60 during this budget year. Currently, the department has 53 officers on the streets, with three officers hired but still in the Department of Criminal Justice Training academy. An RPD officer will be leaving at the end of the month, and another officer will be retiring in July, he said.

Brock questioned the benefit of LEAP if it is leaving local agencies short-handed. KSP worked 307 serious felonies in Madison County that year, while the RPD handled 2,117 felony cases, according to the 2010 Crime in Kentucky report.

"I don't think that (LEAP) benefits law enforcement as a whole in this state," Brock said.

Possible shortage in Berea

Berea Police Chief David Gregory also may be facing an officer shortage because of LEAP. He has three new officers, one who is still in training, and two more that are in field training for another two months. He has three officers who are being considering for LEAP.

"If I lose those, I could be six (officers) down," Gregory said.

In a department that is budgeted for 30 officers, the loss could have a serious impact on staffing, he said.

Gregory also said he has lost four officers to other agencies from November 2010 to August 2011.

Despite offering several benefits and comparable pay to other similarly-sized area departments, "we can't pay what your Richmond and Lexington departments offer," Gregory said.

He said he understands the KSP wanting to fill its ranks with qualified officers.

"But I have to protect the citizens of Berea," Gregory said.

Gregory said he does not fault employees for wanting to better themselves and move forward in their careers. The fact that three Berea officers are being considered for the competitive LEAP academy shows that the city has trained "outstanding" officers, he noted.

"It says a lot about BPD," Gregory said.

Other agencies

Two law enforcement agencies in Madison County, the sheriff's department and EKU Police Department, have not experienced any officer shortage issues because of officers leaving for other agencies or LEAP. Both agencies often have applicants coming from other law enforcement agencies.

Sheriff Jerry Combs said he consistently receives applications from people who have prior law enforcement experience. The department has 25 officers and currently no openings.

"I'd like to have five or 10 more," Combs said, noting the large geographic area his deputies must cover in Madison County.

He said he lost two deputies to the KSP and one to the Department of Vehicle Enforcement in the recent past.

The EKU Police Department also has 25 officers with no unfilled positions.

"We intend to stay that way," EKU Police Chief Brian Mullins said. The agency's ranks include a retired KSP officer, Lexington Metro officers and even former FBI agents.

"We're able to draw from an extraordinarily diverse pool of people who want to work here," Lt. Brandon Collins said.

"We don't actively recruit from other agencies," Mullins added.

Copyright 2012 - Richmond Register, Ky.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service