Wheeling Police Department Meets Prospective Candidates for the Force at Open House
Niamh Coomey Trending
WHEELING -- The Wheeling Police Department held an open house Thursday evening for around 15 prospective police officers.
The informational event was in anticipation of the civil service test that the department is offering at the end of March, a requirement of becoming a certified police officer. It gave those seeking to join the force a taste of what the written and physical portions of the examination will look like.
Deputy Chief Joshua Sanders oversaw Thursday night's event. He said he was happy to see so many prospective officers show up.
"It's always good to know that this many folks are interested in the job of police officer, especially here at the city of Wheeling. So it's really really good to see that and we hope that these folks follow through because we need good quality police officers here in the city," he said.
The police department has held open houses in the past, but the classroom-like format of this week's was new. Sanders said they wanted to lay out very clear expectations for those curious about testing later this month -- down to the number of pushups and situps they will need to do for the physical examination -- so they can best prepare.
"We wanted to do one where we could get some of that one-on-one but we could also have direct conversations with everybody and then we could also go over all the expectations that we have for when you show up on March 29, because that's not something we did previously," he said.
The department recently announced several benefits for certified officers seeking to join the force, like a $20,000 sign-on bonus for officers already certified in the state of West Virginia or who have an equivalent certification in another state.
Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said at the open house that the department is seeking to fill 10 empty spots in the department.
Should all 15 prospective officers that showed up apply, there would be some competition, Schwertfeger remarked.
The prospective officers were able to participate in a question and answer segment, introduce themselves to WPD leadership, learn about what to expect on the civil service test and what working at the WPD looks like in the field.
Schwertfeger has previously discussed the nationwide staffing shortage that police departments face, which he has attributed in part to negative attitudes toward the police in recent years.
He has also touted the benefits of joining the WPD: 12-hour shifts, an assigned vehicle program and the recently built state-of-the-art facility that houses the department.
Sanders said the department is looking for people who really want the job, and who are good people with a desire to help others.
He said he hopes the open house will result in a pool of prospective officers that want to work at the WPD, and that it instills some confidence in those going forward with the application process.
"I'm hoping they come away with some knowledge or some confidence to be able to maybe apply and show up so they can follow through with that process so we can have a nice big list of folks that want to be here," Sanders said.