Detroit police chief anticipates force will be fully staffed by October
(CBS DETROIT) – Through an aggressive hiring campaign, the Detroit Police Department is chipping away at filling 300 vacancies, and Chief James White believes the department will be fully staffed by this fall.
On Friday, another 20 officers were sworn in during a graduation ceremony at Wayne County Community College District's Northwest Campus.
At some point, the new officers realized their calling was to protect and serve their communities.
"Wearing the Detroit police badge is a privilege. It's a privilege. I will say it again. It's a privilege. Never think it's a right. Never think it's a right. It's a privilege. And you get to wear it as long as you adhere to the rules and regulations of this organization. And you remember that it is a symbol of public trust," Chief White told the group of new officers.
Seeing that trust inspired Yousef Jamil, the son of Lebanese immigrants, to become a Detroit cop.
"My dad has been like a longtime business owner in the community. He owns a dealership in the city of Detroit. Just seeing how officers would come in, maybe grab some coffee, and just talk to me, since I was like, 13, I've always known I was going to come here," Officer Yousef Jamil said.
Jamil went through the six-month academy in the middle of Ramadan, which meant fasting.
"With no water, no food, it was just a little bit taxing. But my amazing tech sergeant helped me through it, giving me words of motivation the entire way through," Jamil said.
Three months into training, Officer Brian Domzalski became a father.
"In Detroit, this is where I can really make a difference than most. So that's why I chose this job," Domzalski said.
As a young man growing up in Taiwan, Officer Fu Han also realized he also wanted to lead a life in public service.
"I've been wanting to become a law enforcement officer since I was in high school. And I just don't know where it's going to be. But it's something I've been wanting to do. And since my wife, she's a citizen over here, and this is the place and home I'm going to be, so I decided to pursue my dream in the United States," Han said.
Officer Han is joining the force months after the city approved a $10,000 pay raise to help with recruitment and retention.
Around the time of the salary increase, the department had 300 vacancies; it's now down to 200 openings.
"We've got a very aggressive campaign out to hire, we're looking for the best of the best. We're not going to cut any of our standards, but we're recruiting not just in Detroit; we want Detroiters, most certainly, but we're going out of state to bring people into our great city as well to work here," White said.
With more graduations slated this year and former officers coming back because of the pay bump, the chief anticipates DPD will be fully staffed by October.
To learn how to become a Detroit Police Officer, visit here.
