TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A big step in beefing up the manpower at the Toledo Police Department was taken Friday, as 31 new trainees began at the Toledo Police Academy.
Several retirements and a delayed police class has put the number well below where they should be. But Friday's training was a move in the right direction.
The class training took the test a year ago and were expected to start at the academy in the spring, but that was postponed because of a failed attempt at getting a levy passed.
Now, just days before voters take to the polls to vote on the 3/4 percent income tax, class has begun.
All the trainees in attendance were patient, putting their lives on hold and making sacrifices to make it there.
'It was a lot of sacrifices, a whole lot of sacrifices," said trainee Tanei Tidwell. "We had to be patient."
Toledo Police Chief George Kral says these men and women, who have quit old jobs to take this job on full-time, will be the first to receive pink slips if that levy fails.
"They are taking a monumental risk they are starting on today," Chief Kral said. "The levy is next week. If it fails they are getting pink slips as of January 1st and that is why I think the citizens of Toledo will see how important passing this levy is."
He says the department had no choice but to get the class started because the number of sworn Toledo police officers has fallen below 600. A number Chief Kral says is far too low for a a city of our size.
"Because of all the retirements, we're going to start January of 2017 about 16 officers shorter than we did of January of 2016. So, this class of 31 isn't even covering the retirements. And we're going to see that for the next couple years, so we are going to have to consistently hire classes to make sure we don't lose all the powerful things we have done," said Chief Kral.
He says the trainees go through a lot of physical and emotional stress at the academy to get them prepared for what they will encounter on the streets of Toledo.
Chief Kral says they need to prepare them for this dangerous, yet fulfilling job.
