BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Are you looking for a career in law enforcement? There might be an opportunity for you right down the thruway.
The Rochester Police Department has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign in the Buffalo area to try and attract new officers in the face of a significant staffing shortage.
"We are down about 100 officers right now within the organization," said Sgt. Justin Collins, who is in charge of recruitment for the Rochester Police Department. "We have been in crisis mode for probably the last five years."
Sgt. Collins said that RPD officers have been retiring faster than they can be replaced, so to fill those positions the organization is once again heavily advertising outside of the Rochester area with social media ads and digital billboards.
The RPD ran a similar campaign in the Buffalo area earlier this year.
"We really looked at Buffalo as a market that we could make an impact," Collins told 7 News in February. You can watch our previous report below.
"The billboards in Buffalo really helped us quite a bit to having people sign up this year," said RPD officer Michelle Calderon who works in recruitment.
Officer Calderon said the new RPD recruiting campaign is titled "All in. All the time." You can watch a video about the campaign here.
"We are doing what we can to take care of the City of Rochester, and we need more help. That's what we are doing," said Calderon. "We're looking for people who want to be all in, who want to give of themselves, who want to serve this community."
The RPD says top pay for officers is one of the highest in Western New York at $103,522 after just over three and a half years of service.
Sgt. Collins also pointed to the variety of options available within the department.
"Scuba team, SWAT team, all of those things. Perhaps someone wants to be on patrol for a couple of years, and then they want to be a hostage negotiator like Officer Calderon," said Sgt. Collins.
"I came on with two children and this job took me out of poverty," said Calderon. "You're going to be busy here, you're gonna work here, but you're also going to make a lot of money."
Another benefit the RPD points to is that officers can choose to live outside of Rochester and Monroe County, with options including Genessee and Orleans counties. You also don't have to relocate until you start in the academy.
"We know that Buffalo historically is a town that appreciates law enforcement. That is a town that is supportive of law enforcement, and we want to get some of those great people to consider the Rochester Police Department," said Collins.
The deadline to register for the next Rochester Police Department exam is September 4.
For more information, you can go to www.jointheRPD.com or www.cityofrochester.com/joinRPD
