Department aims to hire over 300 officers within the next year

Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld, III unveiled the Hometown Heroes Recruitment Project, a new initiative designed to encourage residents of the city to consider careers within the Baltimore Police Department. The initiative is made up of two components: a community recruiting effort and promotion of the agency’s cadet program.

“The Hometown Heroes Project opens the door for residents to give back to their community and make Baltimore a safer place to work and live,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “I am grateful to Commissioner Bealefeld and his staff for creating an innovative way to attract more people to join the police so we can continue to reduce crime.”

Commissioner Bealefeld, who started with the agency as a police cadet, is optimistic that the initiative will assist the department in hiring over 300 police positions within the 2011 and 2012 calendar years. “As a cadet who rose through the ranks of the police department, there is no better sense of satisfaction than having had the opportunity to serve my community as a member of BPD,” he added. “I encourage the young men and women of Baltimore to consider a career in public service and join us in making our city safer.”

As part of the effort, citizens will be trained as Community Recruiters for the police department to find and recruit the best men and women from Baltimore neighborhoods. Community Recruiters will be given training on how the hiring process works for applicants with the Baltimore Police Department and will learn about opportunities and rewards that members of the department have during their careers.

The cadet program is designed for men and women who are interested in a career in law enforcement but have not reached the age of 21. Applicants for this position may be hired at the age of 20. Cadets will work in administrative positions prior to entering the police academy at the age of approximately 20 years and 9 months (depending on when the next scheduled academy class begins). Cadets must successfully complete the same hiring process as applicants for Police Officer Trainee.

The starting salary for a Police Cadet is $27,324. Once the Police Cadet turns 21 years old, they will be reclassified as a Police Officer Trainee and earn $41,290. At the completion of entrance level training, they will earn $42,290.

For more information and to sign up, contact the Baltimore Police Personnel Section at (410)396-2340 or visit www.baltimorepolice.org.

The Fiscal 2012 Preliminary Budget plan was built around Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s priority outcomes for Baltimore: Better Schools, Safer Streets, Stronger Neighborhoods, Growing Economy, Innovative Government, and Cleaner and Healthier City.

Below are Safer Streets highlights:

• Fully funds the Mayor’s aggressive hiring plan to recruit hundreds of new police officers in 2011 to fill police vacancies.
• Funds the Operation Safe Kids and Operation Safe Streets youth violence prevention programs, which have proven to reduce shootings in targeted neighborhoods.
• Funds operation of 515 crime cameras, which have been shown to reduce crime by 25% in covered areas.
• Increases funding for the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice to generate additional external grant support for the City’s public safety services.