PITTSFORD, Vt. (WCAX) Fewer people are enrolling to train as police officers nationwide. So what does that mean for Vermont? Our Ike Bendavid went to the Vermont Police Academy– where the class of 2019 is training– to find out.
Polished boots walk down the hall at the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsford.
Reporter Ike Bendavid: Are you ready to be a Vermont state trooper?
Audrey Currier: I am absolutely ready to be a Vermont state trooper.
Ten out of the 40 recruits in the current class will work for the state police. That includes Currier. The former UVM student says she hopes to become a detective or work on the bomb squad.
“There is so much support for where you want to go in your career and excellent opportunities,” she said.
Standard training at the Vermont Police Academy lasts 16 weeks. But aspiring troopers must put in an additional 10 weeks.
“It is challenging, it is time-consuming at 26 weeks in invested in training for a job is something you have to be ready for. It’s so worth it,” said Lt. Steven Coote, the head of training for the Vermont State Police.
Ike Bendavid: Are you guys fully staffed right now?
Lt. Steven Coote: We are not fully staffed right now.
The green and gold are about 20 troopers short of the 320 officers they are authorized to have.
“Application numbers are down, unfortunately,” Coote said.
Coote says in 2016, VSP received about 1,000 applications. In 2018, they got fewer than 600. But they say the total number of graduating recruits has stayed consistently between 10 and 20 the past few years, including 10 in the current class.
Coote points to a low unemployment rate, a poor portrayal of law enforcement in the media and scheduling conflicts as some of the reasons that numbers of applicants are trending down.
“I think there are so many different aspects,” he said.
To draw more interest in the job, the state’s largest police force has increased its presence on social media and loosened some regulations.
“We have seen an uptick in folks with visible tattoos, especially on the arms, which is what our policy has been revised to allow,” Coote said.
But Coote says the biggest recruiting tool is the first word in VSP.
“We are also trying to sell the lifestyle of Vermont,” he said.
Which is why recruit and future trooper Currier says she looks forward to serving the people of the Green Mountains.
“I feel pretty good,” Currier said. “It’s been a long road; there is still a lot to go.
A step in the right direction to serve the people of Vermont.
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