Plain City officials are hoping a new approach will draw police officer candidates that meet the quality of their current force.
At Wednesday’s council work session, officials discussed options to create a “cadet program” through which the village would pay for a candidate’s training at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA).
While PCPD has had no issue with retention – the department has not lost any officers in the past several years, Chief Dale McKee said – it has struggled to fill a new, vacant position.
McKee said he feels difficulty recruiting stems from a variety of factors, including the changing landscape of the career and competitive wages of nearby departments.
“Plain City is in a great place, but in a bad place,” he said, noting the strong culture within PCPD but the proximity of larger, higher paying departments like Hilliard and Powell.
Through a cadet program, the village would cover the cost for a candidate to attend OPOTA with the understanding that they would become an officer with the Plain City Police Department upon graduation.
McKee noted that the cost of training, which he said approaches $7,000 not including the purchase of a weapon and other equipment, is a hurdle to many that are interested in a law enforcement career.
Village Law Director Paul La Fayette said the village could go about covering that cost in one of two ways.
First, the candidate could sign an employment contract that would make the individual an employee of the village while they are participating in the six-month training program.
While it would guarantee retention of the candidate, La Fayette said it would come with some risk.
If the individual is injured while at OPOTA, the village would be required to cover worker’s compensation because the candidate is already an employee.
Beyond that, although the candidate would be interviewed and vetted in advance, if it emerged that they were a “bad candidate” while at training, the village would be “stuck,” La Fayette said.
An alternative would be to create a separate contract through which the village would pay for a candidate’s training and provide a stipend during that period. However, the individual would not become an actual employee of the village until they graduated and were hired as an officer with PCPD.
La Fayette said a scale would be created that would require the individual to pay back a percentage of the training cost and stipend if they left PCPD within a certain period of time.
There would be less risk because the person would not be an actual employee during the training period but they would also feel “less connected” to the village, La Fayette said.
McKee said he has considered both options and worries that the stipend route does not include benefits or insurance while the candidate is at training.
He said he does not want to limit the candidate pool to recent college graduates, but the non-employee contract could be an obstacle to recruiting those who would like to switch careers and become a police officer.
McKee said it would be difficult to quit a job with benefits to pursue a job that would lack them during training – especially when that training involves a chance of injury.
He acknowledged the risk that would come with making the selected candidate an employee during training, but said he feels it would be worthwhile.
“If we’re going to commit to this person, I think we need to show commitment,” McKee said.
Council member James Sintz said he will support whichever route McKee advocates for, but feels it “makes sense to show commitment on our side.”
“We need to make that investment,” Council member Jim Eudaily agreed.
Council President Michael Terry said he feels the cadet program is a step in the right direction, but he would like to consider the long-term success of the department as well.
Retention is not an issue at the moment but McKee said he worries that he could lose officers in the next couple of years.
“Our guys can’t even afford to live here,” he said, noting that two of his officers have homes in London.
He said he doesn’t feel that PCPD should immediately jump to the wages of places like Powell, which is among the highest paid departments in central Ohio, but he knows that officers will need to put their families first and consider higher paying options, no matter how much they like the culture in Plain City.
Especially as the village is growing, Terry said he feels the time is right to consider the police levy.
He said he feels there is strong enough support within the village to pursue a replacement levy that would boost funding for PCPD, as opposed to a renewal.
“I want to be able to say yes to all of these things (involving PCPD),” Terry said.
Village Administrator Haley Lupton emphasized that the village would not want to compete with any potential school levies and needs to have further discussions about any potential levies.
Still, Terry said he thinks the Personnel and Finance Committee should begin discussions now, about a year and a half before the police levy would be on the ballot for renewal in 2025.
As far as the cadet program, council members said they will follow the advice of McKee.
“Whatever you decide, you’ll have our support,” Sintz said.
The Personnel and Finance Committee will also review the matter to bring a recommendation to council.