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Brownsburg police say recruitment has dropped; two candidates advanced to background checks
Summary
Chief Joe Grimes told the council the department is seeing fewer applicants and fewer interview attendees; two candidates were moved to background investigations and one conditional offer is progressing toward onboarding.
Chief Joe Grimes told the Brownsburg Town Council on May 22 that the police department is experiencing a decline in lateral and certified applicants and in the number of people attending oral interviews.
“We continue to see a decrease in number of applicants as well as those that attend oral interviews,” Chief Grimes said. He said the department invited 19 candidates to oral interviews earlier that week and about 50% attended.
Grimes said the department will work with town staff on the 2026 budget for salaries and benefits to address recruiting and retention. He reported that two candidates are being moved into the background phase and that a third vacancy already had a conditional offer in progress and was expected to be onboarded by June.
“The law is changing to July 1 on laterals,” Grimes said, referring to a state change that will require new hiring agencies to pay part of training costs for lateral officers who have been at their prior agency for one to three years. Grimes said the department is trying to hire before that date if possible; if not successful, the town will need to consider the training-cost implications for lateral transfers.
Grimes described longer-term staffing pressures, including retirements and departures to the private sector, and said retention and recruitment measures will be part of the upcoming budget conversations.
No formal personnel actions were taken at the meeting; the chief’s comments were delivered as part of department reporting.
