One of the Evanston Police Department’s “most wanted” lists is up to 12 people now, but the officers aren’t searching for dangerous criminals. They’re searching for colleagues.
Twelve positions on the force are currently open, and that number is likely to increase in the near future as many current officers near retirement age, said Cmdr. Dennis Nilsson of EPD.
EPD Chief Frank Kaminski, City Manager Roger Crum, City Director of Human Resources Judy Witt and members of the Civil Service Commission met with members of Evanston City Council’s Administration and Public Works committee April 11 to discuss the officer shortage.
While some previous vacancies have been filled by new officers, new spots continue to open, Witt said.
Kaminski said the department maintains field and patrol operations as a first priority and never allows the shortage to affect these beats — officers in specialty positions are reassigned and promotions are delayed until vacancies are filled.
Kaminski said the department will step up its recruitment efforts to encourage qualified people to apply. EPD currently recruits new officers by attending career fairs and placing ads in professional mainstream newspapers, college newspapers and professional newsletters.
Police departments across the country are having trouble filling their forces because of waning interest in the job, Crum said. Many of those who do want to become officers don’t meet Evanston’s high expectations, he said.
“(EPD has) probably the highest standards of all the forces in the Chicago metropolitan area,” Crum said.
The state requires applicants to be between the ages of 21 and 35, Nilsson said. EPD further requires each applicant to be a U.S. citizen, to have a driver’s license, to be a high school graduate and to have completed at least 60 hours of college credit.
But more importantly, the department seeks officers who can show integrity and professionalism while working as community problem-solvers, Kaminski said. People interested in becoming EPD officers first take a written test, which measures reading, math and vocabulary skills that relate to police work, Witt said.
Candidates who pass the written test are then interviewed by command staff, who evaluate verbal communication skills and poise. Interviewers at this stage look for articulate individuals who will be able to communicate with citizens and answer questions coherently, Witt said.
Those who make it past the first round of interviews face a physical fitness test, a polygraph test, a psychological assessment and a background check. They then interview with the Civil Service Commission and receive a physical exam.
The remaining applicants spend 12 weeks at the police academy. Those who graduate participate in a 13-week Field Training Officer program before patrolling on their own, she said.
Of the 428 people who have submitted applications to EPD since September 1998, only nine officers have been hired and are still employed by the department, Witt said.
While 39 candidates are currently progressing through the yearlong hiring process, 377 of the initial applicants have either been rejected or have withdrawn. Three officers who were hired by the department have resigned.
Although some of the aldermen at the meeting expressed concern over the high number of dropouts and rejections, Ald. Dennis Drummer (2nd) said a low retention rate should be expected in this type of process.
“It’s like taking photos,” he said. “You take a lot of them to hope you get a good one.”
Kaminski said he would rather endure a shortage of officers than hire an unqualified applicant who could be a detriment to the force.
“I want the best person that we have that will serve the goals of this organization,” he said. “We have to be a lot of things to a lot of people. I think it takes a special person to be a police officer.”
