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It takes a certain mentality to serve others. Inherently, those in service dedicate their lives and livelihoods to supporting other people or causes other than their own individual desires. The backbone of this nation is formed by the vast network of people who have put their personal wants to the side to provide service to their communities.
To serve is to be selfless; sacrificing time, labor, and in some cases, life and limb to put the needs of a community above the individual.
For local police departments, their lives, limbs and otherwise are on the line daily as they protect the peace of their chosen communities. Unfortunately for many departments, there are too few people stepping up to the position with the commitment to serve their community as several departments around the nation struggle with maintaining their force numbers with some even going as far as shutting down their operations. Especially in rural areas with generally smaller forces such as Colorado County, the strain of a smaller applicant list can stretch the current department’s efforts and wear down the team’s morale. However, the local police remain committed to the spirit of service and selflessness that defines what it means to be an officer.
Weimar Police Chief Mark Jameson, an officer of over 25 years, explained simply the merits of becoming a peace officer and dedicating one’s life to service.
“It is the greatest profession one could have,” Chief Jameson said, “It has opened up doors for me that I probably never would have gotten to do otherwise. It comes with sacrifice, but it is the most rewarding.”
Many officers share the same sentiment, especially within Chief Jameson’s own ranks as well as the departments in Eagle Lake, Columbus and the Sheriff’s Office.
The main issue with departments in the country is that policing itself has lost popularity amongst a growing public that many officers believe is shifting away from the spirit of service to focus on more private sector work. Officer training and initiate classes have gotten smaller over time, leaving a limited number of qualified candidates to apply for open positions in communities.
“We operate of the understanding that a police department is more than the place you go when you need help; it should be a group of well trained and equipped people that care for their community and who make a positive impact to help make the community a better place to live,” Columbus PD Chief and officer of over 30 years Milton “Skip” Edman said.
“The citizens invest a lot in the people that we choose to hire, and it’s imperative that we hire the best candidate and pour as much knowledge and training into them as possible,” Chief Edman said, “Finding the good ones is hard, keeping the great ones is even harder.”
Despite difficulties around the nation to keep fully staffed departments, Colorado County has remained somewhat fortunate to maintain their force size and even increase their force due to an increase of population in the county. However, each force in the county cites that the number of qualified applicants has decreased over time, making it difficult to find officers that can clear background checks, receive recommendations from their previous departments or commit to the spirit of service necessary to hold a position as the protector of peace in the county. These issues coupled with the high standard of excellence required by each department in the county makes searching for quality candidates an extensive task for force leaders.
“When I first started in 1996, you’d have 15 or 20 applicants for one division” Eagle Lake Police Chief and longtime officer Donald Chaney said, “Now you’re lucky if you get one or two good applicants for each division ... I’ve rejected more applications than I’ve accepted, and I will continue to be selective. We’ve got a good thing going here.” Another sentiment shared between the departments and forces across the nation is that there is a large amount of sacrifice required to hold the position and provide the quality of service necessary to keep communities protected. That level of sacrifice is not only tolerated, but fully accepted as forces take on the difficult challenge of balancing the life of an officer with the life of a community resident.
“Speaking from experience, all deputies feel strained at some point in their careers. It could be due to working countless hours, missing holidays, birthdays, kid’s events, anniversaries, etc.,” Sgt. Deputy Sheriff Justin Lindemann said, “But this is a path we choose, or we are guided to by faith.”
Specifically with the Sheriff’s Office, a larger force would mean the specialization of tasks that would allow patrol deputies to spend more time on their posts. Adding positions like a Traffic Unit Officer to work on traffic from collisions or a Livestock Deputy to address escaped and mistreated livestock would greatly increase the “presence and productivity” of deputies on patrol.
To draw in highly qualified candidates, each department in the county has provided initiatives to provide extra incentives to applicants. Columbus, Weimar and Eagle Lake police departments offer signing bonuses or training intended to create appeal for officers looking for work.
The Sheriff’s Office has a few separate initiatives as well, redistributing department funding to allow for more employees to attend training who otherwise may not be able to afford to attend the academy. For Deputies already on patrol, the Commissioners Court removed the overtime exemption that prevented officers from receiving overtime pay unless they reached 171 hours in a 28-day period. Removing the exemption meant that deputies could now fill shifts as needed without the constraints of fewer overtime hours given despite working long hours regardless.
While each force has done their best to attract the caliber of officers that have become a standard in the county, the most impactful change that can happen is a shift in mentality by the public. Departments are searching for those who will stand up despite some of the negative coverage in the media and the public. For those with that certain mentality and fortitude required to serve in the face of danger and negative sentiments, there is a department ready and willing to accept them into the fraternity. As departments across the nation struggle to withhold quality officers, residents of Colorado County are assured by their respective departments that only those of that mentality are accepted into their ranks.
