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Eureka Police Department highlights wellness, pay and training as it plans 2025 move
Summary
Eureka Police Department officers outlined recruitment priorities — including mental-health counseling, a fitness facility in a new building, competitive health coverage and retirement benefits — and described training opportunities and the stresses officers face.
Michael Worges, captain of the Eureka Police Department, told listeners the department is pitching itself to prospective recruits by emphasizing wellness programs, training and benefits as it prepares to move into a new facility in early 2025.
"Here at the Eureka Police Department, we believe in being everyone's police," Captain Michael Worges said, adding that officers must be "fair" and "impartial" when delivering justice. He told listeners that an "average officer is exposed to almost 200 critical incidents over the course of their career," while "an average person might experience 2 or 3," and said that fact underscores the need for physical and mental wellness programs.
The department said the new facility, scheduled for occupation in early 2025, will include a fitness center for officers. Worges said the department also recently began offering counseling to all officers to bolster mental-health support: "We also value the mental side of wellness ... we just completed this week, offering counseling to all of our officers."
Other officers described policing as a calling and the job's variable day-to-day nature. "It's fun. It's different every single day. You're never gonna have the same thing, and you never know what's next, ever," an unnamed officer said.
Speakers described the department's pay and benefits as competitive. Worges said the city offers a ‘‘0 deductible’’ health plan for officers at no cost to the employee and described the agency's retirement plan as a traditional pension administered through Missouri LAGERS. He encouraged applicants to compare departments' benefits, saying officers should look for "great benefits for health insurance, great retirement, and the pay."
Officers also listed on-the-job training opportunities available at the department, including firearms instructor certification, assignment as a school resource officer and classes in public information and press releases.
Worges framed returning to work in his hometown as a motivating factor: "I'm not policing for a paycheck. I'm policing for my friends and my neighbors," he said, adding that working where he grew up has shaped his approach to calls for service.
The remarks combined recruitment messaging with a focus on wellness and professional development as the department readies a new building and tries to attract and retain officers. No formal hiring policies, budget figures or personnel decisions were announced in the remarks.
