Castle Rock Town Council granted the police department’s request to hire three police officers slated for the 2014 budget this year to save on retraining costs, and so the officers can have an impact on the community sooner.
Earlier this year, the department had about six vacancies, some due to retirement, some due to officers moving to another department and two who were reassigned as school marshals, part of the Douglas County School District’s plan to deploy law enforcement officials at their elementary and middle schools.
Chief Jack Cauley said they initiated a hiring process in June and identified nine applicants they wanted to hire. Council already had given the department the authorization to hire six of them, but the remaining three would be slated to be hired in 2014, according to next year’s budget.
Cauley said the problem with that is those officers may go apply at a different agency in the interim and they would have to retest them next year. It also would mean three officers wouldn’t be out on the streets until April, at a time the town has grown in population and needs more officers.
“It would allow for a more immediate impact in our ability to maintain current levels of service,” Cauley said. “By hiring them earlier, they’ll be out in January rather than April.”
He also said this will allow the department to save the town about $7,100 in costs to train the officers. It will cost the town $53,000 for all three officers for their service between now and the end of the year. Starting this month, all nine officers will begin the four-month testing process, meaning they’ll be out on the streets at the end of January.
Cauley said this move also has allowed them to backfill detective, traffic safety and community policing positions that had been open for several months. The three that were slated to be hired in 2014 are new positions to meet the town’s growth and need for more officers.
Clayton Woullard: 303-954-2671, cwoullard@denverpost.com or
