Stamford PD pushes for new recruits amid staffing concerns
Posted: Updated:STAMFORD -
Stamford police are aggressively looking for new recruits amid fears of being short-staffed in 2019.
Roughly a dozen officers will retire next year. Sgt. Kelly Connelly, a recruiter at the Stamford Police Department, says she's been working overtime due to the lack of officers.
Stamford police are recruiting at community colleges, churches and even on Instagram.
The starting salary is $62,000. Connelly says just finding people to apply has been tough.
"With everything out there in social media and things that you see on the news, people are kind of second-guessing what we do," says Connelly.
Stamford police say they've relaxed some of the physical requirements to be an officer.
Connelly says that despite the shortage, the screening process is rigorous. Out of dozens of candidates, only six or seven of them willl qualify to become an officer.
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