“You truly are the guardians of this community,” he told the new officers.
Brenden Huber, Ryan Bower, Stephen Level, Matthew Anderson, Christopher Hall, Jason Watkins and Lindley Chase were surrounded by family, friends and future co-workers as they each took their oath to the community.
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Chase, a Springfield native and the lone female officer sworn in, said being a Springfield officer has been a lifelong goal of hers, and she hopes to be an inspiration to other girls or women who aspire to have a career in law enforcement.
“I’m excited to serve my community and give back to the people I live with,” she said.
The seven will start the police academy at Clark State Community College on Monday. The academy will last 19 weeks, followed by eight weeks of training at the police division and 13 weeks working with a field training officer.
“The thing is you’ll never be alone,” said Graf. “Springfield Police Division has more than 100 officers, and help is never more than a few minutes away.”
Following the ceremony, Graf said the department has put an emphasis on recruiting and retaining quality officers in recent years.
He said there were about 108 officers when he became chief in 2017 — but in the next 12 months, he estimates that number to rise to at least 130.
“Our hiring patterns have been pretty high in the last two years,” Graf said.
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He credited a city-wide dedication to public safety, as well as the department’s dedication to staying up to date with what potential recruits are looking for.
“(The recruits) just want a more comfortable environment — that doesn’t mean a lack of discipline, but it does mean that they want to feel more a part of what’s going on within their agencies, changes that are happening, new policies,” he said.
In 2017, Springfield passed a tax levy that helped in part to get public safety divisions up to full-staffing and re-institute many community policing programs.
The City specifically cites police recruitment campaigns held over the last three years and several hires from other police agencies in a progress report published earlier this year.
Graf said another hiring trend that the department has been encountering is former officers who moved onto other police agencies — but then came back to Springfield.
“When we talk to them, they miss the culture. They miss the Springfield community. They miss the type of work we do in the community,” he said.
Anyone interested in becoming a Springfield police officer can apply online at springfieldohio.gov or call the City of Springfield Personnel Department at 937-324-7320.
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