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Kalamazoo police filling 14 positions, see huge response

Posted at 5:57 PM, Jan 18, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-18 18:05:13-05

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety began the process of filling 14 open positions currently open on the force this Saturday.

More than 600 people showed up to the auditorium at Kalamazoo Valley Community College with the hopes of eventually becoming public safety officers.

On Saturday, the huge group was present to take a written test- comprised of two portions.  A cognitive portion tests candidate’s abilities in basic reading, writing and arithmetic, while another section gauges individual’s aptitude for having a career in law enforcement.

If applicants pass this written portion of the screening process, they will be contacted in upcoming weeks.  At that point they will have to pass a physical test, along with various other written portions to further narrow the pool of applicants.

Chief of Police Jeffrey Hadley is overseeing the hiring process and was pleasantly surprised at the large number of enthusiastic people that showed up, even in the face of recent public backlash against police departments.  He hopes to keep around 200 full-time officers on staff- being proactive now, before the department is faced with officers looking to retire.