MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In an effort to bring in more officers, Memphis Police Department held a hiring expo on Saturday. There, applicants were able to apply, receive information about job openings, and take their basic agility test.
As an incentive to get applicants, the police department was offering a $15,000 sign-on bonus and a $10,000 relocation assistance along with other career benefits. New hires will the first half of their bonus after they graduate from the police academy. Then they will get the other $7,500 after their one-year probation period.
In a tweet, MPD announced that the job fair was a success as over 300 people came and applied to join the force. While MPD and potential new hires were surprised by the turnout, not everyone was there just because of the money. Marques Basset, who is a criminal justice major from the University of Tennesee said he would have applied to MPD regardless of the bonus because he's ready for change.
"When it comes to me being a police officer I want to be the change I want to see because in recent years the image of policing has changed and it's not a good image," Basset said.
A number of women surprisingly showed interest in being an officer. Nikalen Billington said she saw nearly 100 women standing in line today. She hopes more women see the importance of representation in law enforcement.
"Most people say women can't do that and women can't do this," Billington said. "I just want more change because you have to start someone where and with more women being policing officers it's showing we are rising above it all."
MPD has said that there are less than 2,000 officers in the department and are hoping to hire at least 300 more. MPD Assistant Chief Shawn Jones said that the ultimate goal is to have 2,500 officers on Memphis streets. Currently, women make up 18% of MPD.
If you missed Saturday's hiring event, the department is still actively recruiting before the summer police academy. The summer academy is tentatively scheduled for July 2, 2022.