Oakland Recruiting To Fill Positions On Police Force
OAKLAND (KCBS) – The city of Oakland is looking to fill about 40 positions on the police force by recruiting locally.
This comes as they are set to lay off as many as 40 employees because of the loss of redevelopment funds.
The police department and city officials were at Merritt College this weekend talking to young people who might be interested in joining the force.
Among the possible new recruits was Justin Kaady, who has applied to other departments without any luck.
"Not every department is hiring entry level. Oakland is. Once in awhile, some departments do open up for the entry level position," he said. "But a lot of the times, you'll find they want a bachelor's degree or they want an academy graduate."
KCBS' Bob Butler Reports:
Dominique Starks said she's excited to be considered.
"I love challenges. I'm going to school, I'm getting physically fit for this," she said. "I feel like mentally, I have the mentality to go out there and do my best and serve my community."
Officer Juan Sanchez said he's happy about the possibility of new officers coming aboard.
"We had some layoffs. We were able to hire some back," Sanchez said. "But with the attrition rate, the 40 officers would definitely help."
The city of Oakland is still working out which workers will get laid off as the official cuts are expected later this month.
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