Huntsville police recruitment increasing during pandemic

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Job security is a big concern for a lot of people in the Tennessee Valley and across the county. During the current coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are looking for jobs classified as essential, like becoming a police officer.

Not only is the Huntsville Police Department academy moving right along, even during the coronavirus pandemic, officers at the Huntsville Police Department say the number of people applying to get into the next class has increased a lot.

“We’re seeing about 15-20 percent increase in applications. Even since the application process is closed, we’ve actually have a tremendous amount of phone and email traffic to the academy regarding interest in when the next academy starts. So that phone call, that email or that message to our recruiter is just another sign people are interested in the police officer job,” said Lt. Michael Johnson.

During the coronavirus pandemic, no police officers were furloughed or laid off, which is just one reason they think there are so many more people looking to drive a patrol car and wear the badge. They also say Huntsville is a magnet for a lot of people looking for a career change.

“It’s not just our department and all the innovative things we’re doing. It’s this city in its entirety, is why we believe people are flocking to move here,” said Johnson.

The next round of applications for the Huntsville Police Academy are being accepted starting June 1st. Here’s a link for more information about applying to the Huntsville Police Department’s academy. https://www.joinhuntsvillepd.com/becoming-an-officer/

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