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Council adopts pay change to allow lateral police hires; chief outlines vetting process
Summary
The council adopted an ordinance enabling the safety director to set probationary police officer salaries for lateral entrants. The police chief said lateral candidates will undergo extensive background checks, personnel interviews and review of prior disciplinary and use‑of‑force records.
Canton City Council adopted an ordinance changing the probationary police officer salary structure to permit the safety director to set initial pay for lateral‑entry candidates. The move, adopted after a judiciary committee recess, is intended to improve recruitment by allowing the city to hire certified officers from other jurisdictions at wages that reflect their experience.
During the committee discussion, the police chief described the department’s vetting process for lateral hires. The chief said candidates will be subject to an extensive background check, review of all previous employment and education, interviews with former supervisors and personnel, and examination of disciplinary and use‑of‑force records where available. The chief said examining an officer’s body of work “will really tell me how they will work in Canton,” noting that transferring certified officers could reduce training time and cost.
Council members asked about safeguards to avoid importing disciplinary problems; the chief said available records would be reviewed and that the city will interview former supervisors as part of hiring verification. The council adopted the ordinance on a roll‑call vote recorded as 12 yeas.
The ordinance directs staff to implement lateral‑entry hiring and to report back as needed; the safety director and chief of police are the implementing officials.
