scottsdale needs piggies!!!! Original Article Police hiring trails tax hike objectives By Mike Sakal, Tribune February 7, 2006 Nearly two years after Scottsdale residents voted to bolster public safety services with a sales tax increase, police said Monday that 27 of 48 officers mandated by the tax are officially on the streets. Officials gave a variety of reasons for the shortfall, including a national shortage of police recruits, long lead time for training new officers and normal attrition of the current staff. People like to be safe, and they want the best services possible, Police Chief Alan Rodbell told the 29th class of recruits at the Citizens Police Academy last week. When the people passed the tax, it was a good sign. Now, were down to a small number of openings needed to fill, to meet, the citys needs. Since the tax was passed in the spring of 2004, were just putting the first group of new officers on the streets, Rodbell said. In the spring of 2004, voters approved a tax increase of 10 cents on every $100 spent on goods purchased in the city. But it takes 18 months to move recruits through the police academy and field training, Rodbell said. Currently, there are 19 Scottsdale officers in field training who should be on the streets sometime this year, and 14 more recruits are in the academy, said Cindy Sawyer, police personnel supervisor. However, Sawyer said she did not know how many of those officers were part of the tax mandate. The total number of employees in the department is 720, a figure that includes officers and civilian personnel, officials said. The Scottsdale Police Department continues to advertise on LawEnforcementJobs.com in an effort to attract officers both from cold-weather states and within Arizona, said Greg Carlin, Scottsdale police recruitment officer. However, the good economy means many in the law enforcement fields are seeking positions outside of the public sector, said Sgt. Mark Clark, police spokesman. Everybody is looking for people, Clark said. Were competing on all levels of law enforcement federal, state, county and local and private security is big. Another spokesman, detective Sam Bailey, said that in an effort to attract more applicants, recruitment teams have visited colleges in coldweather states along the East Coast, and have been successful in bringing recruits here. An in-state transition to another department is much easier, but if someone with more experience from another state applies for the job, it could put them ahead in being considered, Bailey said. Last fall, the police department also lowered its standards, or reassessed its hiring requirements to attract applicants, he said. No longer is an applicant required to have 60 hours of college-level law enforcement classes. Applicants must still be at least 21 years of age, be of good moral character, pass a polygraph test and meet requirements of the academy, Bailey said. We need to come in line with what other law enforcement agencies are doing to attract applicants, Bailey said. You apply, get on a list, and if you pass the academy, you pass. Contact Mike Sakal by telephone at (480) 970-2324.