TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Police Department is aiming to expand its reach and attract diverse, caring and patient recruits for the 71st class of the police academy.
TPD Officer Greg Long has been with the department for four years and said those qualities are crucial to an officer's role of serving the community and getting to know its residents.
"I do a lot in the community," Long said. "I go out and play with the kids and ride bikes, play basketball with them, try to do anything to interact with those youth."
For its current recruitment period, TPD has also tried new ways to "reach as many people as we can" for the police academy, Sgt. Geoffrey McLendon said.
McLendon said recruitment normally consists of handing out flyers and posting billboards. But this year, there will be ads in movie theaters and a series of recruitment events around the Glass City.
The new recruitment tactics account for changing times as social media and other technologies gain more popularity among newer generations, McLendon said.
"We have approximately 270 thousand people that live here in the city of Toledo," McLendon said. "We have to come up with a way that we can reach those people."
The diversity of the 71st class is of particular importance.
Long said youth are encouraged when officers who look like them take the time to stop and get to know them. There are times when an officer should be stern and there are times when an officer should be friendly.
"Growing up seeing those officers doing that with me, playing basketball and just interacting with the youth, is important," he said. "And to have that relationship with these youth is how they build a strong relationship with us."
The testing and application period to join the class of 2024 is March 2, 2023, through July 17, 2023.
Testing can take place in person or online for those who own the proper equipment. After passing the National Testing Network test, applicants will be required to pass a stringent background investigation, a psychological examination and a physical fitness test.
The police academy is expected to graduate its 70th class of recruits in April. The 71st class is expected to graduate in March 2024.
The 69th class graduated 33 new officers in mid-January.
The Toledo Police Department's recruitment unit is available at 419-280-1852 or tpdrecruitment@toledo.oh.gov.