CHENEY – Three patrol officer candidates have made it to the background-check stage with the Cheney police department.
Since October of 2022, the Cheney police department has interviewed 37 individuals in an effort to regain its baseline personnel numbers.
As of the publication of this article, three of those 37 interviewees have progresses to the stage in which they must submit to a full background check, “Which takes a long time.” says police chief Rick Bechtel. “We’ve got some promising candidates though.”
Two of these candidates are “lateral hires,” which means they have completed their police academy training. “Ideally, lateral hires also have some field experience.” Bechtel said.
The remaining candidate, if hired, would be completely new to the police force, meaning he or she would need to pass the police academy and field training programs.
Additionally, before the police chief is authorized to offer candidates a position with the department, they must submit to and pass a psychological evaluation, a polygraph test, and a physical examination.
“This is a highly regulated and rigorous process.” Bechtel said. “With a new hire, for example, even if we hire this person, the earliest they would be able to join the force and gain active status in Cheney would be sometime in 2024.”
There are a total of six positions that the Cheney police department is trying to fill; four patrol officers, and 2 dispatchers.
“Statewide, there is a huge shortage of officers, and even interested people.” Bechtel said. “Dispatchers are the hardest to find. It is a thankless, misunderstood, and difficult job.” Bechtel said.
The expenses incurred by this process were added as items in the city’s 2023 budget, which was approved by council in December 2022.
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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