Valley police officer shortage caused by lacking qualified applicant pool
At the moment, the Indio Police Department has thirteen open officer position on their force. Farther west, a similar issue; the Palm Springs Police Department is short seven officers.
Financially, it can be pretty rewarding; the starting salary for a Palm Springs police officer is $69,000. And when overtime and benefits are added in, that salary can grow to over a $100,000. But the career isn’t for everyone, and the process to serve as one of the Valley’s finest can be intimidating.
“When you talk about a six-month a five-month training program, it’s a daunting process to go through,” said Sgt. Michale Casavan of PSPD.
The shortage could very well prove problematic for the whole of the Valley.
“One of the ways it maybe increases in response time to non-emergency crime,” said Sgt. Casavan. “If officers are tied up with one thing it’s going to take longer to get to another thing.”
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Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
