LTC 260-2017 Update Re MBPD's Police Officer Non-Certified Candidate ProgramMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC #
260-2017
LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of the City
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: May 16, 2017
SUBJECT: Update Re: MBPD's Police 'fficer Non -Certified Candidate Program
This Letter to Commission is prepared to update the Mayor and Commissioners on the Police
Department's new hiring initiative involving college-educated police officer candidates with no prior
experience in law enforcement. Eighteen (18) such police officer recruits are now in training at the
Miami -Dade Community College Police Academy, and the prospects for this new recruit stream are
promising.
Background
Our Police Department, like law enforcement agencies across the country, has been facing significant
challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified officers. Competition among local agencies to hire from
a relatively small pool of already licensed police officer candidates has been fierce. In addition, in 2015
in a much needed effort to raise the caliber of new officers, the MBPD increased its hiring standards,
imposing a minimum requirement of a four-year college degree (with a limited exception for candidates
with a military background). Critics of the change suggested that such a requirement would further
hamper the Department's ability to attract and hire new officers.
Another challenge has been that for well over a decade, the Department has hired only certified
(licensed -in -Florida) police officers, persons typically already working for another police agency. This
was done primarily to save money. The Department could avoid the cost of putting recruits on the
payroll for six months while they attended a police academy. However, the Department found over time
that this applicant pool had significant weaknesses. It has desired to get back to hiring brand new
police officers that it could train from the outset.
So I am pleased to report that for the first time in more than a decade, 18 brand new non -certified
police applicants are on track to join the Department. The first eight are projected to graduate from the
Police Academy in early September. A second class of 10 more such candidates entered the Police
Academy two weeks ago and will graduate in early 2018. The candidates are attending the Academy
part-time, evening and weekends, over nine months. Their commitment to become Miami Beach police
officers is such that each is attending the Academy while working full time, a significant sacrifice. If
they are successful and graduate, they are guaranteed to be hired by MBPD. Their costs to attend the
Academy — tuition, fees, books, uniforms and equipment — are paid by the MBPD under an
arrangement previously approved and funded by the Commission.
To hire these 18 candidates, the Department engaged in an extensive recruitment campaign, focusing
primarily on Florida colleges and universities. The diversity profile of our 18 candidates is excellent.
am particularly proud to report that 9 of 18, or 50 percent, are women. Sixty Six (66) percent are
Hispanic, and 22 percent are African American.
Summary
The MBPD, like many other law enforcement agencies, has been forced to seek creative ways to
attract and hire qualified applicants. An increase in the basic requirements to join the Department
created the need to much more aggressively recruit college graduates, and the Department has
focused on and emphasized diversity in its approach. By attending numerous recruitment fairs and
engaging in other marketing targeting Florida colleges and universities, the Department has filled two
consecutive Police Academy classes with 18 police officer candidates, half of whom are women.
These candidates are particularly invested in their dream of becoming Miami Beach police officers
because they are attending the grueling Police Academy over nine months while also working full time
in their current jobs.
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