Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plain City moves to hire certified officers to meet Department of Justice staffing benchmarks
Summary
Council members reviewed a Personnel & Finance update on police hiring and supported hiring certified officers now to fill vacancies and keep pace with population growth, with staff and finance confirming the budget can cover the recommended hires.
Plain City Council on May 12 reviewed Personnel & Finance Committee recommendations on police staffing and signaled support for hiring at least one certified officer immediately to replace a vacancy and shore up department capacity as the community grows.
Committee members reported a strong candidate pool: multiple applicants already certified by other agencies who could be road‑ready in six to eight weeks after background checks and local ride‑alongs. The committee recommended hiring certified lateral officers where possible to reduce academy time and cost and to add a mix of experience levels to the department. "We had 10 candidates that were already certified," the P&F report said; the committee argued for hiring two certified officers if viable and for moving forward promptly to avoid a lengthy recruitment process.
The presentation included an estimate of current and projected need. Staff reported approximately 2,300 housing units in town and used a 2.7 persons‑per‑unit factor to estimate roughly 6,200 residents; the Department of Justice staffing guideline of two officers per 1,000 residents yields about 12.5 officers for that population. Council previously approved a thirteenth position and discussed funding for a 14th officer in the 2026 budget cycle. Council members and staff confirmed budget availability for the immediate hire and emphasized that hiring lateral candidates shortens the time to full patrol deployment.
Council directed Personnel & Finance and administration to proceed with processing and offers for qualified certified candidates where appropriate, with background checks and standard hiring contingencies. No formal supplemental appropriation was made at the May 12 meeting; staff said the hires can be accommodated within currently approved budgets and that future budget cycles will account for full‑year costs as new officers come on board.
The matter drew broad support from council members, who cited public safety and the operational benefits of adding experienced officers rather than restarting a lengthy cadet recruitment and academy cycle.
